Demonstrative Adjectives in Spanish

Overview

Demonstrative adjectives help you point to specific things based on how far they are from the speaker. English has a two-level system ("this" and "that"), but Spanish has three levels: este (this, near me), ese (that, near you), and aquel (that over there, far from both of us). At the A1 level, learning demonstratives lets you be specific about which item you mean, whether you are shopping, giving directions, or simply pointing something out.

Like all Spanish adjectives, demonstratives must agree with the noun they modify in both gender and number. Each of the three levels has four forms. Once you learn the pattern for one level, the others follow the same structure.

How It Works

The three levels

Level	Distance	Masculine sing.	Feminine sing.	Masculine pl.	Feminine pl.
Near speaker	this/these	este	esta	estos	estas
Near listener	that/those	ese	esa	esos	esas
Far from both	that/those (over there)	aquel	aquella	aquellos	aquellas

As adjectives (before a noun)

Spanish	English	Distance
este libro	this book	Near me
esa chica	that girl	Near you
aquellos edificios	those buildings (over there)	Far away

As pronouns (standing alone)

Demonstratives can also replace the noun entirely, functioning as pronouns:

• Prefiero este. (I prefer this one.)
• ¿Quieres esa? (Do you want that one?)
• Me gusta aquel. (I like that one over there.)

In modern Spanish, demonstrative pronouns do not require a written accent, though you may see accents (éste, ése, aquél) in older texts.

Neuter forms

Spanish has three neuter demonstrative pronouns for referring to abstract ideas, situations, or unnamed things:

Form	Meaning
esto	this (thing/situation)
eso	that (thing/situation)
aquello	that (thing/situation, far away)

These never modify a noun and never change form:

• ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)
• Eso es interesante. (That's interesting.)
• No quiero hablar de aquello. (I don't want to talk about that.)

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Este libro es interesante.	This book is interesting.	Near speaker
Esa chica es mi hermana.	That girl is my sister.	Near listener
Aquellos edificios son viejos.	Those buildings (over there) are old.	Far from both
Prefiero este.	I prefer this one.	Pronoun use
¿Qué es eso?	What is that?	Neuter pronoun
Estas flores son bonitas.	These flowers are pretty.	Feminine plural
Esos zapatos cuestan mucho.	Those shoes cost a lot.	Near listener, plural
¿Quieres esta o aquella?	Do you want this one or that one (over there)?	Comparing distances
Esto no es justo.	This isn't fair.	Neuter, abstract situation
En aquella época vivíamos en Madrid.	In that time period we lived in Madrid.	Temporal distance

Common Mistakes

Using este/ese/aquel with the wrong gender

• Wrong: Este casa es bonita.
• Right: Esta casa es bonita.
• Why: Casa is feminine, so you need the feminine form esta, not the masculine este.

Confusing the three distance levels

• Wrong: Using este for everything, like English speakers might use "this"
• Right: Use este (near me), ese (near you), aquel (far from both)
• Why: Spanish distinguishes three levels of distance. In practice, este and ese are the most common, with aquel reserved for things clearly far away.

Using esto/eso/aquello as adjectives

• Wrong: Esto libro es bueno.
• Right: Este libro es bueno.
• Why: The neuter forms (esto, eso, aquello) never go before a noun. They only stand alone to refer to abstract ideas or unidentified things.

Forgetting agreement in the plural

• Wrong: Este libros son interesantes.
• Right: Estos libros son interesantes.
• Why: Demonstratives must match the noun in number. Libros is plural, so you need estos.

Practice Tips

• Point and name. Practice by pointing to objects at different distances: este teléfono (in my hand), ese cuadro (on the wall near you), aquel coche (across the street).
• Go shopping (even virtually). Demonstratives are perfect for shopping: Quiero esta camiseta, esos pantalones, y aquellas zapatillas.
• Practice the neuter forms separately. Use esto, eso, aquello to comment on situations: Esto es difícil, eso es verdad, no entiendo aquello.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Adjectives