Demonstrative Adjectives in Portuguese

In Brief

Portuguese demonstratives point out people and things while showing distance: este/esta means “this” near the speaker, esse/essa means “that” near the listener, and aquele/aquela means “that over there,” far from both. They agree with the noun in gender and number: este livro, esta casa, estes livros, estas casas.

Overview

A demonstrative is a pointing word: it identifies which person, object, place, idea, or time you mean. In esta mesa (“this table”), esta is traditionally called a demonstrative adjective because it accompanies the noun mesa. Modern descriptions may call it a demonstrative determiner—a word placed before a noun to identify it more precisely. The label changes, but the job is the same.

At A1, the essential idea is a three-part distance system. Portuguese can distinguish something near the speaker, something near the listener, and something far from both. English normally compresses this into the two-part contrast this/that, so English speakers need to pay attention to whose space an object is in.

Demonstratives also change to match the noun. This is called agreement: the form reflects whether the noun is masculine or feminine and singular or plural. The same forms can stand alone as pronouns—words that replace a noun—as in Prefiro este (“I prefer this one”). Portuguese also has the neutral pronouns isto, isso, and aquilo for unidentified things, statements, or situations.

How It Works

The basic three-way contrast

Position	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Masculine plural	Feminine plural	Basic English idea
Near the speaker	este	esta	estes	estas	this / these here
Near the listener	esse	essa	esses	essas	that / those by you
Far from both	aquele	aquela	aqueles	aquelas	that / those over there

Imagine two people standing apart:

• The speaker holds a book: este livro — “this book here with me.”
• The listener holds a pen: essa caneta — “that pen there with you.”
• Both can see a building in the distance: aquele edifício — “that building over there.”

This physical picture is the clearest beginner rule. In real conversation, especially in Brazil, usage is sometimes less strictly divided; that variation is covered later.

Agreement with the noun

Choose the form according to the Portuguese noun, not according to the object’s natural sex or its English translation.

Noun	Demonstrative phrase	English
livro (masculine singular)	este livro	this book
caneta (feminine singular)	essa caneta	that pen
sapatos (masculine plural)	aqueles sapatos	those shoes over there
casas (feminine plural)	estas casas	these houses

Gender and number appear on the demonstrative even when the noun itself does not make its gender obvious: este problema (“this problem”) is masculine, while esta foto (“this photo”) is feminine.

A demonstrative normally comes before its noun:

• este café — this coffee
• essa rua — that street
• aquelas pessoas — those people over there

Unlike English, Portuguese does not normally place a definite article between the demonstrative and noun. Say este livro, not este o livro.

When the noun is omitted

The gendered forms can replace a noun when the context makes the meaning clear:

• Qual livro queres? — Quero este. — “Which book do you want? — I want this one.”
• Gosto dessas, não daquelas. — “I like those, not those over there.”

Here, este, dessas, and daquelas are demonstrative pronouns because they stand in for a noun. They still agree with the understood noun. If the missing noun is camisas, for example, use the feminine plural: Prefiro estas.

Neutral isto, isso, and aquilo

Portuguese has three invariant neutral forms. Invariant means that they never change for gender or number.

Position or reference	Neutral form	Typical meaning
Near the speaker / about to be introduced	isto	this thing; this
Near the listener / already mentioned	isso	that thing; that
Far from both	aquilo	that thing over there

Use these when you are pointing to something unidentified, asking what something is, or referring to a whole idea or situation:

• O que é isto? — “What is this?”
• Isso é verdade. — “That is true.”
• O que é aquilo? — “What is that over there?”

They do not accompany a noun. Use este livro, never isto livro. Once you identify the noun and know its gender, choose a gendered form.

Contractions with de and em

Portuguese combines demonstratives with the prepositions de (“of/from”) and em (“in/on/at”). These contractions are standard, not optional shortcuts.

Base form	With de	With em
este / esta / estes / estas	deste / desta / destes / destas	neste / nesta / nestes / nestas
esse / essa / esses / essas	desse / dessa / desses / dessas	nesse / nessa / nesses / nessas
aquele / aquela / aqueles / aquelas	daquele / daquela / daqueles / daquelas	naquele / naquela / naqueles / naquelas
isto	disto	nisto
isso	disso	nisso
aquilo	daquilo	naquilo

For example:

• Gosto deste restaurante. — “I like this restaurant.” Literally, the verb construction contains de: gostar de + este.
• Ela mora naquela rua. — “She lives on that street over there.”
• Não fale disso agora. — “Don’t talk about that now.”

The contraction keeps the same distance contrast and, with gendered forms, the same agreement pattern.

Examples in Context

Portuguese	English	Note
Este livro é interessante.	This book is interesting.	Masculine singular, near the speaker
Esta cadeira está livre.	This chair is free.	Feminine singular, near the speaker
Estes documentos são meus.	These documents are mine.	Masculine plural
Essa caneta é tua?	Is that pen yours?	Near the listener
Essas chaves são do carro?	Are those keys for the car?	Feminine plural, near the listener
Aquele edifício é velho.	That building over there is old.	Far from both people
Aquelas montanhas ficam em Espanha.	Those mountains are in Spain.	Distant, feminine plural
Prefiro este.	I prefer this one.	The noun is understood
Qual camisa quer? — Quero esta.	Which shirt do you want? — I want this one.	Esta replaces feminine camisa
O que é isto?	What is this?	An unidentified thing near the speaker
Isso não é uma boa ideia.	That is not a good idea.	Refers to an idea or suggestion
Quem mora naquela casa?	Who lives in that house over there?	em + aquela → naquela
Não me lembro desse nome.	I don’t remember that name.	de + esse → desse
Falamos disto amanhã.	We’ll talk about this tomorrow.	de + neutral isto → disto
Naqueles dias, não havia internet.	In those days, there was no internet.	A distant period in the past

Common Mistakes

Using one form for every gender

• Wrong: este casa
• Right: esta casa
• Why: Casa is feminine singular, so the demonstrative must be feminine singular too. Learn a noun together with its gender whenever possible.

Forgetting plural agreement

• Wrong: esse livros
• Right: esses livros
• Why: Both words must show plural number. The same applies in the feminine: essa revista becomes essas revistas.

Using a neutral form before a noun

• Wrong: isto livro é novo
• Right: este livro é novo
• Why: Isto, isso, and aquilo stand alone and refer to unidentified things or complete ideas. A demonstrative accompanying a noun must use a gendered form.

Treating esse as the only translation of English “that”

• Wrong in a clear distance contrast: esse prédio lá longe
• Better: aquele prédio lá longe
• Why: In the basic three-way system, esse points toward the listener’s area, while aquele marks something far from both speaker and listener. Spoken Brazilian usage can be looser, but aquele remains the clearest choice for “over there.”

Keeping the preposition separate

• Wrong: Moro em esta rua.
• Right: Moro nesta rua.
• Why: Em contracts with esta to form nesta. Likewise, de esse becomes desse, and em aquela becomes naquela.

Choosing agreement from the English noun

• Wrong: esta mapa because “map” has no gender in English
• Right: este mapa
• Why: Agreement follows the grammatical gender of the Portuguese noun. Mapa is masculine despite its final -a.

Usage Notes

Portugal and Brazil do not always use the system identically

The full three-way distinction is important throughout the Portuguese-speaking world and is especially visible in European Portuguese and in careful writing. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, esse/essa often covers both English “this” and “that,” including objects near the speaker. A Brazilian may naturally say essa semana for “this week” or me dá essa caneta aqui for “give me this pen here.” Words such as aqui (“here”), aí (“there by you”), and ali/lá (“over there”) then make the location clear.

As a learner, use the three-way beginner rule first. It is widely understood and gives you a reliable system. At the same time, do not assume a Brazilian speaker is using esse incorrectly when the object is close to them.

Location words reinforce the contrast

Common pairings are:

• este ... aqui — this ... here
• esse ... aí — that ... there by you
• aquele ... ali/lá — that ... over there

These pairings are helpful, but they are not rigid formulas. Context, regional usage, and what the speakers are contrasting all matter.

Demonstratives can point in time or conversation

Distance does not have to be physical. Demonstratives can organize time and information:

• esta semana — this week, the current week
• naquela época — at that time, a period felt as distant
• essa ideia — that idea you mentioned
• este ponto é importante — this point the speaker is presenting now

This use is close to English, but Portuguese preserves more choices within the system.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every distinction at A1, but these patterns explain forms you will meet in reading and formal speech.

Looking forward and looking back in a text

In careful writing, este can introduce something that follows, while esse can refer back to something already stated:

• Só quero dizer isto: obrigado. — “I only want to say this: thank you.”
• Ele recusou o convite. Essa decisão surpreendeu-nos. — “He declined the invitation. That decision surprised us.”

In actual usage the distinction is not always maintained strictly, especially in informal writing. Treat it as a useful formal tendency rather than an absolute law.

Contrasting two previously mentioned items

In formal prose, este may refer to the nearer or more recently mentioned of two items, and aquele to the earlier or more distant one. This can be elegant but is easy to misread, so everyday speech usually repeats the nouns or names instead.

Contraction with a: àquele, àquela

The preposition a can combine with forms of aquele:

Combination	Result
a + aquele	àquele
a + aquela	àquela
a + aqueles	àqueles
a + aquelas	àquelas
a + aquilo	àquilo

The grave accent marks the merger, traditionally called crase (the joining of two a sounds). For example, Fui àquele museu means “I went to that museum over there,” and Não dei importância àquilo means “I didn’t attach importance to that.” This belongs to the wider topic of prepositions and crase, so beginners can simply learn these forms as recognizable contractions.

Demonstratives and possession

A phrase may contain both a demonstrative and a possessive: este meu amigo or esse teu hábito. Such combinations often sound marked, expressive, or literary depending on region and context; they can suggest “this friend of mine” or “that habit of yours.” For a neutral beginner sentence, este é o meu amigo or esse hábito teu may be easier to control.

Practice Tips

1. Build a three-zone scene. Put one object beside you, imagine another beside your conversation partner, and place a third across the room. Name each with the right form: este livro, essa caneta, aquela cadeira. Repeat with feminine and plural nouns.
2. Transform complete sets. Start with este carro and change one feature at a time: esta casa, estes carros, estas casas. Then repeat with esse and aquele. This makes agreement automatic instead of treating every form as unrelated vocabulary.
3. Practice contractions in whole phrases. Learn nesta rua, desse livro, and naquela cidade rather than memorizing a bare chart only. When listening to Portuguese, notice whether speakers use este or esse for nearby things and whether that reflects Brazilian or European usage.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Adjectives — reviews how Portuguese words agree with nouns in gender and number.