Portuguese · Chapter 3 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Este, esse, aquele
English manages with two distances. Portuguese insists on three: near me, near you, and far from both of us.
The short version
Brazilians say esse for this, too
The textbook gives three distances: este near me, esse near you, aquele far away. In everyday Brazilian speech, este and esse have largely merged into esse, and precision comes from adding aqui. Learn all three to read, but speak with esse and aquele.
Esse aqui é melhor.
Isso never goes in front of a noun
Isto, isso and aquilo are for things you have not named: an object you cannot identify, an idea, something just said. They never change and never stand before a noun. Once you know what the thing is, switch to the agreeing form: esse livro, never isso livro.
O que é isso?
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