Demonstratives

Kurz erklärt

Spanish demonstratives point to people or things and show their distance from the speaker. Este, esta, estos, and estas mean ‘this’ or ‘these’ for something nearby. Ese, esa, esos, and esas mean ‘that’ or ‘those,’ often for something closer to the listener or at a moderate distance. Aquel, aquella, aquellos, and aquellas point to something far from both speaker and listener. They agree in gender and number with the noun.

Bildung

near: este/esta/estos/estas + noun; farther away: ese/esa/esos/esas + noun; far away: aquel/aquella/aquellos/aquellas + noun

Verwendung

• Use a masculine or feminine form to match the noun: este libro, esta mesa.
• Use a plural form for more than one person or thing: esos zapatos, aquellas casas.
• The same forms can stand alone when the noun is clear: Quiero esa.
• Use esto, eso, or aquello for an unidentified thing, situation, or idea. These neutral forms have no plural.

Beispiele

• Esta camisa es bonita. — This shirt is pretty.
• ¿Cuánto cuestan esos zapatos? — How much do those shoes cost?
• Aquellas montañas están muy lejos. — Those mountains over there are very far away.
• ¿Qué es eso? — What is that?

Typischer Fehler

❌ este casa

✅ esta casa

The demonstrative must agree with the noun. Casa is feminine, so use esta.

Merke

Match the demonstrative to the noun’s gender and number. Esto, eso, and aquello are neutral and are used without a noun.