Demostrative Adjectives in Spanish

Demonstrative Adjectives indicate the distance of the object relative to the speaker.

Listen to the audio below where I expand on what we learn in today’s lesson!

Demonstrative Adjectives indicate the distance of the object relative to the speaker. They change based on the gender of the object and whether it is singular or plural. These words help us show which thing we are talking about. They always go before the noun, like "este libro" (this book) or "esa mesa" (that table). Let’s take a look at the demonstrative adjectives in Spanish.

1. esTe/esTA/esTos/esTAs (This/These) – something that is close in distance

The first group is for things that are close to us, like things we can touch or see easily. We use words like "this" or "these" to talk about them. In Spanish, we say "este" for something that is close and singular (like one thing), and "estos" for something that is close and plural (like many things). If the thing is feminine, we use "esta" for singular and "estas" for plural. For example, "este libro" means "this book," and "estos juguetes" means "these toys."

Este auto es lindo. (This car is nice.)

Esta casa tiene jardín. (This house has a garden.)

Estos perros son buenos. (These dogs are good dogs.)

Estas flores son Amapolas. (These flowers are poppies.)

2. esE/esA/esOS/esAS (That/Those) – something of medium distance

The second group is for things that are not so close to us, but still not very far. We use words like "that" or "those" to talk about them. In Spanish, we say "ese" for something that is not close and singular, and "esos" for something that is not close and plural. If the thing is feminine, we use "esa" for singular and "esas" for plural. For example, "ese gato" means "that cat," and "esas flores" means "those flowers."

Ese colectivo va a La Boca. (That bus goes to La Boca.)

Esa chica es holandesa. (That girl is Dutch.)

Esos “choripanes” son muy ricos. (Those sausage sandwiches are very tasty.)

Esas empanadas son de carne picante. (Those are spicy meat “empanadas”.)

3. aqueL/aqueLLA/aqueLLos/aqueLLAs (That/Those overe there) – Far Distance

The third group is for things that are far away from us, like things we can see in the distance. We use words like "that" or "those" as well. In Spanish, we say "aquel" for something that is far and singular, and "aquellos" for something that is far and plural. If the thing is feminine, we use "aquella" for singular and "aquellas" for plural. For example, "aquel perro" means "that dog over there," and "aquellas montañas" means "those mountains over there."

Aquel restaurante es muy caro. (That restaurant is very expensive.)

Aquella casa es “La Casa Rosada”. (That house is “The Pink House”.)

Aquellos jóvenes toman mate. (Those youngsters are drinking mate.)

Aquellas edificaciones son de principios del siglo pasado. (Those buildings are from early last century.)

These are always in relation to the words aquí/acá (we can use both for “here”), ahí (there), and allí/allá (over there). (In Buenos Aires, it is more common to use “Acá” and “Allá”.)

Acá hay un vaso. Este vaso es muy bonito.

Ahí está la heladera. En esa heladera hay agua.

Allá está la tienda. En aquella tienda podemos comprar lápices.

Proximity can be spatial or temporal:

Aquellos años de universidad fueron maravillosos. (Those college years were wonderful.)

The following are “neutral” examples used when we don’t know the object, and therefore we don’t know if it is male or female. You can think of it being replaced by “the thing.”

ESTO  ESO AQUELLO

¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)

¿Esto es un libro de español? (This is a Spanish Book?)

Practice Exercises (For Paid Subscribers Only)

Exercise 1:

Fill in the Blanks Fill in the blanks with the appropriate demonstrative adjective (este, esta, estos, estas, ese, esa, esos, esas, aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas).

1. ___________ perro es muy juguetón. (That dog)

2. ___________ juguetes son de colores brillantes. (These toys)

3. ___________ casa es muy grande. (This house)