When communicating in any language, it is essential to be able to refer to specific things and people based on their proximity to the speaker. In Spanish, we use demonstrative pronouns to achieve this. These words adjust based on gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
Demonstrative Pronouns: “Este”
The Spanish demonstrative pronoun “este” corresponds to the English word “this”, used to indicate something near the speaker. The variations are:
- Este: Masculine singular (this)
- Esta: Feminine singular (this)
- Estos: Masculine plural (these)
- Estas: Feminine plural (these)
Here are some examples:
- Este libro está muy interesante. (This book is very interesting.)
- Estas piedras parecen especiales. (These stones seem special.)
- Quiero darte este regalo. (I want to give you this gift.)
Additionally, you can use “esto”, which does not have a gender or number, to refer to something more abstract or unknown. For example:
- Esto es algo inesperado. (This is something unexpected.)
- Esto es lo que pienso. (This is what I think.)
Demonstrative Pronouns: “Ese”
“Ese” is the Spanish equivalent of “that”. It’s used to indicate something that isn’t near the speaker but not very far away either. Its variations are:
- Ese: Masculine singular (that)
- Esa: Feminine singular (that)
- Esos: Masculine plural (those)
- Esas: Feminine plural (those)
Here are some examples:
- ¿Puedes pasarme ese lápiz verde, por favor? (Can you pass me that green pencil, please?)
- Esos músicos son excelentes. (Those musicians are excellent.)
We can also use “eso” to refer to something abstract or unknown. For example:
- Eso es lo importante. (That’s what’s important.)
- Con eso es suficiente. (That is enough.)
Demonstrative Pronouns: “Aquel”
Grammatically, “aquel” translates to “that” (that over there) and is used to refer to something far away from the speaker. Here are its variations:
- Aquel: Masculine singular (that)
- Aquella: Feminine singular (that)
- Aquellos: Masculine plural (those)
- Aquellas: Feminine plural (those)
Here are some examples:
- Aquella nube tiene forma de dragón. (That cloud over there looks like a dragon.)
- Aquellos árboles son de cacao. (Those trees over there are cocoa.)
Summary
To summarize, Spanish demonstrative pronouns help identify the location of a noun (or substitute a noun), relative to the speaker. They adjust according to gender and number, and must agree with the noun they modify or replace. Here is a quick reference chart:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| This (near) | este | esta |
| That (near, there) | ese | esa |
| That (far, there) | aquel | aquella |
| These (near) | estos | estas |
| Those (near, there) | esos | esas |
| Those (far, there) | aquellos | aquellas |
| Neutral | esto | eso |
Practice using these words to familiarize
yourself with their usage. Keep in mind that practice is the key to mastery when it comes to language learning. Well done on your progress so far!