Pronouns: This & That

01

Close to the Speaker: Este

Use this form to refer to something within the immediate reach of the speaker, or "right here." It corresponds to the English "this" or "these."

• este (masculine singular)
• esta (feminine singular)
• estos (masculine plural)
• estas (feminine plural)

• Este coche es nuevo.

  This car is new.

• Estas manzanas están deliciosas.

  These apples are delicious.

02

Close to the Listener: Ese

Use this form to refer to something that is closer to the person you are talking to than it is to you. It is also used for middle distances where the object is not within immediate reach but not far away. It corresponds to the English "that" or "those."

• ese (masculine singular)
• esa (feminine singular)
• esos (masculine plural)
• esas (feminine plural)

• Pásame ese libro, por favor.

  Pass me that book, please.

• Esos zapatos son muy elegantes.

  Those shoes are very elegant.

03

Far from Both: Aquel

Use this form when the object is far away from both the speaker and the listener. It implies a significant distance, often translated as "that over there" or "those over there."

• aquel (masculine singular)
• aquella (feminine singular)
• aquellos (masculine plural)
• aquellas (feminine plural)

• ¿Ves aquel edificio blanco?

  Do you see that white building over there?

• Aquellas montañas son muy altas.

  Those mountains over there are very high.

04

Irregular Masculine Plurals

A common point of confusion arises with the masculine plural forms. While the singular masculine forms end in -e or a consonant (este, ese, aquel), the plural forms do not follow the standard pattern of simply adding an "s". Instead, they change the ending to -os.

• este becomes estos (not "estes")
• ese becomes esos (not "eses")
• aquel becomes aquellos

• Este chico es alto, pero estos chicos son bajos.

  This boy is tall, but these boys are short.

05

The Neuter Forms

Spanish has three neuter pronouns: esto, eso, and aquello. These forms are strictly singular and never change gender.

You use the neuter form in two specific situations:

1. When referring to an abstract idea, a statement, or a situation rather than a specific physical object.

2. When identifying an object whose name or gender is unknown (e.g., asking "What is this?").

• Eso es muy importante.

  That is very important. (Referring to a fact or idea)

• ¿Qué es aquello?

  What is that over there? (Unknown object)

• No me gusta esto.

  I don't like this. (Referring to a situation)

06

Using Demonstratives for Time

These words are also used to describe time. The distance in space translates to distance in time:

• Este refers to the present or very recent past (this week, this morning).
• Ese refers to a past period not immediately connected to the present.
• Aquel refers to the distant past (those days, that era).

• Esta semana tengo mucho trabajo.

  This week I have a lot of work.

• En aquellos tiempos no había televisión.

  In those times there was no television.