Demonstratives and place words: este, ese, aquel

What it is

Demonstratives (demostrativos) point things out: este libro (this book), esa mesa (that table), aquel edificio (that building over there). English has two distances, this and that; Spanish has three, and each one pairs with a place word:

• este + aquí: near me, the speaker.
• ese + ahí: near you, the listener, or not far.
• aquel + allí / allá: far from both of us.

How to form it

• They go before the noun and agree with it in gender and number, with no article: esta casa, esos zapatos, aquellas montañas.
• Watch the masculine forms: este, ese end in -e, aquel has no ending, and the plurals are estos, esos, aquellos.
• Without a noun they work as pronouns: Este es mi hermano. Esa es mi casa. The current spelling rules write them without an accent; older texts write éste, ése.
• The neuter forms esto, eso, aquello never go before a noun. Use them for something you can't or don't want to name, or for an idea: ¿Qué es esto? Eso es verdad.

When to use it

• Pointing at things and people: Esta silla está libre. ¿Esas llaves son de Paola? Aquel edificio de allá es el hospital.
• Introducing people: Este es mi hermano Andrés y esta es mi prima Rocío.
• Asking about unknown things: —¿Qué es eso? —Es un mate, una bebida típica de Uruguay.
• Time: este and esta mean "the current one": esta semana, este año, esta noche. Aquel points to a distant time: aquel verano, en aquella época.
• Place words alone: Vivo aquí. Las sillas están ahí. El hospital está allá.

• Esta mochila es de Lucas.This backpack is Lucas's.near me
• ¿Qué es eso que tienes ahí?What's that you've got there?near you, unknown thing
• Aquel edificio de allá es el museo.That building over there is the museum.far from both
• Estos zapatos son nuevos, pero esos son viejos.These shoes are new, but those are old.pronoun without a noun
• Esta semana tengo tres exámenes.This week I have three exams.the current week
• Mis papás viven acá y mis abuelos viven allá, en Cali.My parents live here and my grandparents live there, in Cali.acá / allá

Latin Americans often prefer acá and allá to aquí and allí; both pairs are correct. In everyday speech ese also covers things far away, and aquel sounds more distant or more careful.

Contrasts and traps

• este or esto? Before a noun, always este: este libro. Esto stands alone: ¿Qué es esto?
• esta or está? Esta casa (this house) has no accent; está (is) does: Esta casa está limpia.
• No article: este carro, never el este carro.
• ahí, hay, ay: ahí is "there", hay is "there is", ¡ay! is "ouch". They sound almost the same.
• The noun decides the gender: este problema, esta mano, aquel día.

If you also speak Portuguese

The three degrees match Portuguese, but Brazilian speech merges este and esse: in Spanish keep este for what is near you (esta semana, not esa semana). Spell the plurals estos, esos, write aquel without -e, and never contract: neste → en este.