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stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"m2 16l4.039-9.69a.5.5 0 0 1 .923 0L11 16m11-7v7M3.304 13h6.392\"\u002F>\u003Ccircle cx=\"18.5\" cy=\"12.5\" r=\"3.5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"id":33,"title":34,"author":35,"body":36,"cefrLevel":368,"date":35,"description":369,"extension":370,"faqs":371,"gcseTier":378,"intro":379,"language":380,"lastUpdated":35,"meta":381,"navigation":382,"path":383,"seo":384,"stem":385,"verbSlugs":35,"__hash__":386},"pages\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdemonstratives.md","Spanish Demonstratives: este, ese, aquel and the Three-Way Distance Split",null,{"type":37,"value":38,"toc":357},"minimark",[39,44,61,66,69,146,149,153,175,178,198,201,205,208,234,238,252,272,275,279,311,315,335,339],[40,41,43],"h1",{"id":42},"spanish-demonstratives","Spanish Demonstratives",[45,46,47,48,52,53,56,57,60],"p",{},"English has two demonstratives: this and that. Spanish has three: ",[49,50,51],"strong",{},"este"," (this), ",[49,54,55],{},"ese"," (that), ",[49,58,59],{},"aquel"," (that over there). The extra layer maps onto physical or psychological distance from the speaker, and once you internalise it the system is rigid and easy.",[62,63,65],"h2",{"id":64},"the-full-table","The full table",[45,67,68],{},"Each demonstrative agrees with the noun in gender and number, so each of the three lemmas has four forms.",[70,71,72,94],"table",{},[73,74,75],"thead",{},[76,77,78,82,85,88,91],"tr",{},[79,80,81],"th",{},"Distance",[79,83,84],{},"Masc sg",[79,86,87],{},"Fem sg",[79,89,90],{},"Masc pl",[79,92,93],{},"Fem pl",[95,96,97,114,130],"tbody",{},[76,98,99,103,105,108,111],{},[100,101,102],"td",{},"Near speaker",[100,104,51],{},[100,106,107],{},"esta",[100,109,110],{},"estos",[100,112,113],{},"estas",[76,115,116,119,121,124,127],{},[100,117,118],{},"Near listener",[100,120,55],{},[100,122,123],{},"esa",[100,125,126],{},"esos",[100,128,129],{},"esas",[76,131,132,135,137,140,143],{},[100,133,134],{},"Far from both",[100,136,59],{},[100,138,139],{},"aquella",[100,141,142],{},"aquellos",[100,144,145],{},"aquellas",[45,147,148],{},"Twelve forms. Pick the row by distance, the column by the noun's gender and number.",[62,150,152],{"id":151},"the-three-way-deictic-split","The three-way deictic split",[154,155,156,163,169],"ul",{},[157,158,159,162],"li",{},[49,160,161],{},"este libro"," = this book (the one I'm holding, near me)",[157,164,165,168],{},[49,166,167],{},"ese libro"," = that book (near you, or the one we were just discussing)",[157,170,171,174],{},[49,172,173],{},"aquel libro"," = that book (over there, away from both of us, or in the distant past)",[45,176,177],{},"The split applies to time as well as space.",[154,179,180,186,192],{},[157,181,182,185],{},[49,183,184],{},"este año"," = this year (the current one)",[157,187,188,191],{},[49,189,190],{},"ese año"," = that year (the one we were just talking about)",[157,193,194,197],{},[49,195,196],{},"aquel año"," = that year (a remote year, often nostalgic - aquel verano en Madrid)",[45,199,200],{},"Aquel is the one English speakers underuse. It carries a slight emotional weight - distance, nostalgia, or pointed contrast - that the other two don't have. Native speakers reach for it less in everyday speech than your textbook suggests, but it still lives in any sentence about the distant past.",[62,202,204],{"id":203},"agreement-with-the-noun","Agreement with the noun",[45,206,207],{},"Standard noun agreement. The demonstrative matches the noun it modifies in gender and number, even when the noun is dropped.",[154,209,210,216,222,228],{},[157,211,212,215],{},[49,213,214],{},"esta mesa"," (this table - feminine singular)",[157,217,218,221],{},[49,219,220],{},"estos libros"," (these books - masculine plural)",[157,223,224,227],{},[49,225,226],{},"esas casas"," (those houses near you - feminine plural)",[157,229,230,233],{},[49,231,232],{},"aquellos hombres"," (those men over there - masculine plural)",[62,235,237],{"id":236},"the-neuter-forms","The neuter forms",[45,239,240,241,244,245,244,248,251],{},"Three extra forms - ",[49,242,243],{},"esto",", ",[49,246,247],{},"eso",[49,249,250],{},"aquello"," - exist for referring to abstract things, situations, or unidentified objects. They don't agree with anything because they don't refer to a specific noun.",[154,253,254,260,266],{},[157,255,256,259],{},[49,257,258],{},"¿Qué es esto?"," (What is this?)",[157,261,262,265],{},[49,263,264],{},"No me gusta eso."," (I don't like that.)",[157,267,268,271],{},[49,269,270],{},"Aquello fue un desastre."," (That was a disaster.)",[45,273,274],{},"Use the neuter when there's no noun to agree with - usually when you're pointing at something unknown or referring to a whole situation. Once you name the noun, switch back to the gendered form.",[62,276,278],{"id":277},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[154,280,281,287,293,299,305],{},[157,282,283,286],{},[49,284,285],{},"Este coche es nuevo, ese es viejo."," (This car is new, that one is old.)",[157,288,289,292],{},[49,290,291],{},"Prefiero estas manzanas a aquellas."," (I prefer these apples to those over there.)",[157,294,295,298],{},[49,296,297],{},"¿Quién es esa mujer?"," (Who is that woman?)",[157,300,301,304],{},[49,302,303],{},"Aquellos años fueron los mejores de mi vida."," (Those years were the best of my life.)",[157,306,307,310],{},[49,308,309],{},"No quiero hablar de eso."," (I don't want to talk about that.)",[62,312,314],{"id":313},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[45,316,317,318,320,321,324,325,328,329,331,332,334],{},"The biggest one is collapsing the three-way split into two and using ",[49,319,55],{}," for everything that isn't right in front of you. Aquel exists for a reason - reach for it when the thing is genuinely far, or when you're talking about a distant period of time. The second is forgetting agreement: ",[49,322,323],{},"esta libro"," and ",[49,326,327],{},"esto libro"," are both wrong (libro is masculine, so it's ",[49,330,161],{},"). The third is over-using the neuter - ",[49,333,243],{}," is for unidentified things, not a lazy fallback when you've forgotten the noun's gender.",[62,336,338],{"id":337},"see-also","See also",[154,340,341,350],{},[157,342,343,344,349],{},"The ",[345,346,348],"a",{"href":347},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," covers the full A1-B1 foundation alongside demonstratives.",[157,351,343,352,356],{},[345,353,355],{"href":354},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Farticles","Spanish articles page"," covers el \u002F la \u002F los \u002F las and the gender rules that demonstratives also follow.",{"title":358,"searchDepth":359,"depth":359,"links":360},"",2,[361,362,363,364,365,366,367],{"id":64,"depth":359,"text":65},{"id":151,"depth":359,"text":152},{"id":203,"depth":359,"text":204},{"id":236,"depth":359,"text":237},{"id":277,"depth":359,"text":278},{"id":313,"depth":359,"text":314},{"id":337,"depth":359,"text":338},"A1-A2","Spanish demonstratives (este, ese, aquel) form a three-way system English speakers don't have - here, there, and over-there. Forms, agreement, and when to reach for each.","md",[372,375],{"q":373,"a":374},"What is the difference between este, ese and aquel?","Este means this (near me), ese means that (near you), aquel means that over there (away from both of us). It's a three-way distance split that English collapses into a two-way this\u002Fthat. Use este for the book in your hand, ese for the book on the table between you, aquel for the book on the shelf across the room. Time works the same way: aquel verano means that summer years ago, ese verano means that summer we were just talking about.",{"q":376,"a":377},"Do Spanish demonstratives still take accents?","The Real Academia Española dropped the obligatory accent in 2010 - you no longer need to write éste, ése, aquél to distinguish the pronoun from the adjective. The neuter forms esto, eso, aquello never took an accent and still don't. Older books and many native writers still use the accent out of habit; both spellings are now considered correct.","foundation","English splits demonstratives two ways - this and that. Spanish splits them three ways - este, ese, aquel - mapping onto here, there, and over-there. Each form agrees with the noun in gender and number, giving twelve forms total. This page covers the table, the deictic logic, and when aquel still earns its place in modern Spanish.","spanish",{},true,"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdemonstratives",{"title":34,"description":369},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fdemonstratives","nTekVEa_vtdWVgQuVx2_bQAvVU2L_hikWAOSq2DnUSU",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":389},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":391},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":393},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Crect width=\"18\" height=\"18\" x=\"3\" y=\"3\" rx=\"2\" ry=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Ccircle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m21 15l-3.086-3.086a2 2 0 0 0-2.828 0L6 21\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":395},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M6 22a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h8a2.4 2.4 0 0 1 1.704.706l3.588 3.588A2.4 2.4 0 0 1 20 8v12a2 2 0 0 1-2 2z\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M14 2v5a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h5M10 9H8m8 4H8m8 4H8\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":397},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M23.268 5.313c-.35-2.578-2.617-4.61-5.304-5.004C17.51.242 15.792 0 11.813 0h-.03c-3.98 0-4.835.242-5.288.309C3.882.692 1.496 2.518.917 5.127C.64 6.412.61 7.837.661 9.143c.074 1.874.088 3.745.26 5.611c.118 1.24.325 2.47.62 3.68c.55 2.237 2.777 4.098 4.96 4.857c2.336.792 4.849.923 7.256.38q.398-.092.786-.213c.585-.184 1.27-.39 1.774-.753a.06.06 0 0 0 .023-.043v-1.809a.05.05 0 0 0-.02-.041a.05.05 0 0 0-.046-.01a20.3 20.3 0 0 1-4.709.545c-2.73 0-3.463-1.284-3.674-1.818a5.6 5.6 0 0 1-.319-1.433a.053.053 0 0 1 .066-.054c1.517.363 3.072.546 4.632.546c.376 0 .75 0 1.125-.01c1.57-.044 3.224-.124 4.768-.422q.059-.011.11-.024c2.435-.464 4.753-1.92 4.989-5.604c.008-.145.03-1.52.03-1.67c.002-.512.167-3.63-.024-5.545m-3.748 9.195h-2.561V8.29c0-1.309-.55-1.976-1.67-1.976c-1.23 0-1.846.79-1.846 2.35v3.403h-2.546V8.663c0-1.56-.617-2.35-1.848-2.35c-1.112 0-1.668.668-1.67 1.977v6.218H4.822V8.102q0-1.965 1.011-3.12c.696-.77 1.608-1.164 2.74-1.164c1.311 0 2.302.5 2.962 1.498l.638 1.06l.638-1.06c.66-.999 1.65-1.498 2.96-1.498c1.13 0 2.043.395 2.74 1.164q1.012 1.155 1.012 3.12z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":399},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M5.202 2.857C7.954 4.922 10.913 9.11 12 11.358c1.087-2.247 4.046-6.436 6.798-8.501C20.783 1.366 24 .213 24 3.883c0 .732-.42 6.156-.667 7.037c-.856 3.061-3.978 3.842-6.755 3.37c4.854.826 6.089 3.562 3.422 6.299c-5.065 5.196-7.28-1.304-7.847-2.97c-.104-.305-.152-.448-.153-.327c0-.121-.05.022-.153.327c-.568 1.666-2.782 8.166-7.847 2.97c-2.667-2.737-1.432-5.473 3.422-6.3c-2.777.473-5.899-.308-6.755-3.369C.42 10.04 0 4.615 0 3.883c0-3.67 3.217-2.517 5.202-1.026\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":401},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":403,"hidden":382},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M20.447 20.452h-3.554v-5.569c0-1.328-.027-3.037-1.852-3.037c-1.853 0-2.136 1.445-2.136 2.939v5.667H9.351V9h3.414v1.561h.046c.477-.9 1.637-1.85 3.37-1.85c3.601 0 4.267 2.37 4.267 5.455v6.286zM5.337 7.433a2.06 2.06 0 0 1-2.063-2.065a2.064 2.064 0 1 1 2.063 2.065m1.782 13.019H3.555V9h3.564zM22.225 0H1.771C.792 0 0 .774 0 1.729v20.542C0 23.227.792 24 1.771 24h20.451C23.2 24 24 23.227 24 22.271V1.729C24 .774 23.2 0 22.222 0z\"\u002F>",1781531943746]