Demonstrative pronouns

Lesson

Demonstrative Pronouns: este, ese, aquel (Pointing things out!)

Hello! Today we're going to learn about demonstrative pronouns in Spanish. They're used to point out people or objects and tell us about their distance from the speaker and the listener. Think of them like “this, that, those” in English, but with a clearer distinction based on how far away things are. 😊

There are three main groups of demonstrative pronouns, and they change their form depending on the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the item being pointed out.

• Este/Esta/Estos/Estas: We use these when something is close to the speaker (e.g., “this book I’m holding”). Think of it like “this” or “these” in English.
• Ese/Esa/Esos/Esas: We use these when something is moderately far from the speaker (e.g., “that book on the table”). It might be close to the listener. This is similar to “that” or “those” in English, referring to something a bit further away.
• Aquel/Aquella/Aquellos/Aquellas: We use these when something is very far from both the speaker and the listener, or when referring to something in the distant past (e.g., “that house on the horizon” or “those times”). Think of it as “that one over there” or “those ones over there”.

Remember that demonstrative pronouns always agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.

Me gusta este café.

I like this coffee (close to me).

Prefiero esa camisa.

I prefer that shirt (a bit further away).

Mira aquellos árboles.

Look at those trees (very far away).

Neutral Forms: esto, eso, aquello

There are also neutral forms: esto, eso, aquello. These are invariable (they don't change for gender or number) and we use them when:

• We don't know the name of the thing (e.g., “What is this?”).
• We're talking about an idea, a concept, or a situation (e.g., “That’s very important”).

¿Qué es esto?

What is this?

No me gusta eso.

I don't like that (what you said/did).

Now you're ready to practise! Good luck! 💪