Adjetivos Demostrativos / Demonstrative Adjectives
They indicate a person, animal or thing, indicating the distance it maintains regarding the speaker.
When Something is Near
| Cerca (Near) | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Femenino | Esta (This) | Estas (These) |
| Masculino | Este (This) | Estos (These) |
Examples:
- Me gusta esta camisa. / I like this shirt.
- Quiero comprar estas botas / I want to buy these boots.
- Este día es maravilloso. / This day is wonderful.
- Estos zapatos están en oferta. / These shoes are on sale.
When Something is Far
| Lejos (Far) | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Femenino | Esa / Aquella (That) | Esas / Aquellas (Those) |
| Masculino | Ese/ Aquel (That) | Esos (Those) Aquellos |
Examples:
- Me gusta esa/aquella camisa. / I like that shirt.
- Quiero comprar esas/aquellas botas. / I want to buy those boots.
- No entiendo ese ejercicio. / I don’t understand that exercise.
- Ese/Aquel hombre me está viendo. / That man is looking at me.
- Esos/Aquellos perros están bravos. / Those dogs are angry
- Aquellos/Esos niños están jugando. / Those children are playing.
Pronombres Demostrativos / Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstratives “this” and “that” are not used with nouns; they are used alone, replacing them. They have the function of a neuter pronoun.
Esto/This (Near)
It is used to refer to “something indefinite that is near“.
Examples:
- ¿De quién es esto? (esto = esta cosa que está aquí). / Whose is this? (this = this thing here).
- ¡Voy a tirar todo esto a la basura! (todo esto = todas estas cosas que están aquí). / I’m going to throw all this stuff in the trash! (all this = all these things that are here).
Eso/That (Far)
It is used to refer to “something indefinite that is far away“.
Examples:
- ¿De quién es eso? (eso = eso que está allí). / Whose is that? (that = that thing over there).
- ¡Voy a tirar todo eso a la basura! (todo eso = todo eso que está allí). / I’m going to throw all that in the trash. (all that = all that’s there).
(It is also used to talk about “a situation”).
- Eso no me gusta nada. (eso = esta situación). / I don’t like that at all. (that = that situation).
- Todo eso es muy complicado. (todo eso = toda esa situación). / All that is very complicated. (all that = all that situation).
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