Demonstratives

Este, ese y aquel

A218 practice questions

This, that and those: este/ese/aquel agree with the noun, esto/eso point at things without a name, and estas is not estás.

The rule

Demonstratives point, and Spanish points at three distances. ESTE is near me (this), ESE is near you or a little way off (that), AQUEL is far from both of us (that over there). Each one agrees with its noun: este cuento, esta canción, estos zapatos, estas medias; ese vaso, esa manzana, esos autos, esas llaves. The same words work alone when the noun is obvious: 'No quiero ese, quiero el otro' (the toy car), 'Quiero uno como este' (one like this one).

They no longer need an accent as pronouns. Then there are the neuter forms ESTO, ESO and AQUELLO, which never go with a noun. Use them for a thing you haven't named yet or can't name ('¿Qué es esto?', 'Eso no se toca') and for ideas or situations ('Eso es lo que te dije'). So 'ese' points at a known masculine thing and 'eso' at something unnamed.

With time words, este/esta means the current one: esta mañana, este fin de semana. Last, the spelling trap: ESTAS (these, feminine) has no accent, and ESTÁS (you are) does. '¿Cómo estás?' but 'estas medias'.

Examples

  • Este cuento es mi favorito.

    This story is my favourite. (este: near me, masculine)

  • ¿Me pasas esa taza?

    Can you pass me that mug? (esa: near you, feminine)

  • ¿Ves aquel avión allá arriba?

    Can you see that plane up there? (aquel: far from both of us)

  • ¿Qué es esto?

    What's this? (esto: a thing without a name yet)

  • Quiero uno como este.

    I want one like this one. (este alone, the noun is obvious)

  • ¿Te gustan estas medias?

    Do you like these socks? (estas (these) is not estás (you are))

Try it yourself

Three quick questions, straight from the app. No sign-up needed.

Try it: question 1 of 3

___ cuento es mi favorito.

This story is my favourite.

All 18 Demonstratives questions, free in Hablaba

Hablaba spots this exact rule in your real conversations and points you back to the quiz for it. The drills feed the speaking, which is the point of the whole app.

Join the waitlistFree while in early access

Keep going

Direct Object PronounsIndirect Object PronounsDouble Object Pronouns

Get one new rule like this each week: