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Demonstratives
A1Demonstratives show how near a thing is: este (here), ese (by you), aquel (over there).
Overview
Demonstratives show how near a thing is: este (here), ese (by you), aquel (over there).
At a glance
- 1.este: near the speaker
- 2.ese: near the listener
- 3.aquel: far away
- 4.Agreement in gender and number
- 5.Neuter: esto, eso, aquello
- 6.No accent needed today
Rules
61este: near the speaker
Use "este/esta/estos/estas" for things near the speaker (here/aquí).
- Este café está muy caliente. — This coffee is very hot.in my hand
- Estas flores son para ti. — These flowers are for you.
2ese: near the listener
Use "ese/esa/esos/esas" for things near the listener (there/ahí).
- Ese libro que tienes es mío. — That book you have is mine.by the listener
- Dame esas llaves, por favor. — Give me those keys, please.
3aquel: far away
Use "aquel/aquella/aquellos/aquellas" for things far from both (over there/allí).
- Aquella casa del fondo es muy vieja. — That house at the back is very old.in the distance
- En aquellos tiempos viajábamos en tren. — In those days we traveled by train.
4Agreement in gender and number
The demonstrative agrees with the noun's gender and number.
- este niño / esta niña / estos niños / estas niñas — this boy / this girl / these boys / these girls
- ese día / esa noche — that day / that night"día" is masculine
5Neuter: esto, eso, aquello
"Esto/eso/aquello" stand alone for unknown things or whole ideas.
- ¿Qué es esto? — What is this?unknown thing
- Eso no es verdad. — That is not true.whole statement
6No accent needed today
Modern usage writes demonstratives without an accent, even when standing alone.
- Prefiero este, no ese. — I prefer this one, not that one.no accent (RAE)
Test
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