Hey Spanish learners! Ready to get a handle on one of the most useful ways to talk about specific things or people without repeating yourself? Today, we’re diving deep into Spanish demonstrative pronouns.

Think of them like the Spanish equivalents of English phrases such as «this one,» «that one,» «these ones,» or «those ones.» They help you point things out based on how far away they are from the speaker and the listener.

It might seem a little tricky at first because Spanish has more forms than English, but once you understand the logic, they’re incredibly powerful! Let’s break it down.

 

What Exactly Are Demonstrative Pronouns?

Simply put, a pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. A demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun and points to it, indicating its position or distance.

In English, you use them like this:

– «I like this one.» (Replacing «this car,» «this book,» etc).
– «Can you pass me that one?» (Replacing «that salt shaker,» «that remote,» etc).
– «These ones are mine.» (Replacing «these cookies,» «these shoes,» etc).
– «Those ones belong to her.» (Replacing «those bags,» «those keys,» etc).

Spanish demonstrative pronouns do the same job!

 

Crucial Distinction: Pronoun vs. Adjective

Before we introduce the Spanish words, let’s clarify something super important. Spanish has both demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns. They look almost identical, but their function is different:

Demonstrative Adjective: Modifies a noun. It comes before the noun and tells you which noun you’re talking about.

– Este libro (This book).
– Esa casa (That house).
– Aquellos árboles (Those trees).

Demonstrative Pronoun: Replaces a noun. It stands alone and refers back to a noun already mentioned or understood.

• Me gusta este. (I like this one / this (book, car, etc.))
• Prefiero esa. (I prefer that one / that (house, shirt, etc.))
• ¿Quiénes son aquellos? (Who are those ones / those (people)?)

Historically, demonstrative pronouns had a written accent mark (like éste, ésa, aquéllos) to distinguish them from the adjectives. However, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) ruled in 2010 that the accent is no longer required unless there is ambiguity. In most everyday situations, you won’t see the accent, and the meaning is clear from context.

For simplicity and following current RAE guidelines, we will show the demonstrative pronouns without the accent here.

 

The Spanish Demonstrative Pronouns: It’s All About Distance!

Spanish demonstrative pronouns change based on three things:

1- Distance from the speaker and listener.
2- Gender of the noun they replace (masculine or feminine).
3- Number of the noun they replace (singular or plural).

Let’s look at the different forms based on distance:

 

1. Near the Speaker (Like «this one / these ones»)

These refer to something that is close to the person speaking.

Form	Gender	Number	English Equivalents
este	masculine	singular	this one
esta	feminine	singular	this one
estos	masculine	plural	these ones
estas	feminine	plural	these ones

Examples:

• You are holding a pen. Someone asks, «¿Cuál quieres?» (Which one do you want?). You reply: «Quiero este.» (I want this one) – Este replaces the masculine noun bolígrafo or lápiz.
• You are looking at apples on a table right in front of you. You say: «Esta se ve deliciosa» (This one looks delicious) – Esta replaces the feminine noun manzana.
• Pointing to a group of friends standing right next to you: «Estos son mis amigos» (These ones are my friends) – Estos replaces the masculine plural noun amigos.
• Picking up a bunch of keys from your desk: «Estas son mis llaves» (These ones are my keys) – Estas replaces the feminine plural noun llaves.

 

2. Near the Listener or Not Far From Both (Like «that one / those ones»)

 

These refer to something that is close to the person listening, or generally not far away from both the speaker and the listener. This is often the trickiest distinction for English speakers, as «ese» covers situations where you might use «that» in English, even if it’s just across a small room.

 

Form	Gender	Number	English Equivalents
ese	masculine	singular	that one (near you/not far)
esa	feminine	singular	that one (near you/not far)
esos	masculine	plural	those ones (near you/not far)
esas	feminine	plural	those ones (near you/not far)

 

Examples:

• You are talking to someone standing near a car across the street. You ask: «¿De quién es ese?» (Whose is that one?) – Ese replaces the masculine noun coche or carro.
• Someone is wearing a nice shirt. You comment: «Me gusta esa» (I like that one) – Esa replaces the feminine noun camisa.
• Pointing to some books on a shelf slightly away from you: «Esos parecen interesantes» (Those ones seem interesting) – Esos replaces the masculine plural noun libros.
• Referring to some chairs a few feet away: «Esas están ocupadas.» (Those ones are occupied) – Esas replaces the feminine plural noun sillas.

 

3. Far Away From Both Speaker and Listener (Like «that one over there / those ones over there»)

These refer to something that is distant from both the speaker and the listener. Think of things you might point to in the distance, across a park, on the horizon, or even things far away in time or concept.

Form	Gender	Number	English Equivalents
aquel	masculine	singular	that one over there
aquella	feminine	singular	that one over there
aquellos	masculine	plural	those ones over there
aquellas	feminine	plural	those ones over there

 

Examples:

• Pointing to a building far down the street: «Aquel es el museo» (That one over there is the museum) – Aquel replaces the masculine noun edificio.
• Looking at a distant mountain: «Aquella es la montaña más alta» (That one over there is the tallest mountain) – Aquella replaces the feminine noun montaña.
• Referring to people walking far away in a park: «Aquellos deben ser turistas» (Those ones over there must be tourists) – Aquellos replaces the masculine plural noun personas or turistas.
• Talking about houses on a very distant hill: «Aquellas se ven pequeñas» (Those ones over there look small) – Aquellas replaces the feminine plural noun casas.

 

The Neuter Forms: Esto, Eso, Aquello

Spanish also has three neuter demonstrative pronouns: esto, eso, and aquello.

These are special because they do not change for gender or number. They are used to refer to:

 

Abstract ideas, concepts, or situations:

– «Esto es complicado.» (This (situation/matter) is complicated)
– «No entiendo eso.» (I don’t understand that (idea/thing you just said))

 

Something unknown or unnamed:

– «¿Qué es esto?» (What is this (thing I’m holding but don’t know what it is)?)
– «¿Qué es eso?» (What is that (thing over there whose name I don’t know)?)

 

Referring to a whole sentence or previous idea:

– «Estudié toda la noche. Eso fue agotador.» (I studied all night. That was exhausting.) – Eso refers to the entire action of studying all night.

Examples:

• Seeing something strange: «¿Qué es esto?» (What is this?)
• Reacting to a piece of news: «Eso es terrible» (That is terrible)
• Remembering something from the distant past: «Aquello fue un error» (That (event long ago) was a mistake)
• Talking about a general situation: «Esto no puede seguir así» (This (situation) can’t continue like this.)

 

A Note on Spoken Spanish: Simplifying Distance

 

While the three levels of distance (este for near, ese for not far, aquel for far) are the formal rule and good to know, it’s very common in everyday spoken Spanish to replace the «aquel» family (aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas, aquello) with the corresponding «ese» forms (ese, esa, esos, esas, eso), even when referring to things quite far away.

Essentially, in much of spoken Spanish, the distinction often collapses into just two levels:

1- Near the speaker: Use este, esta, estos, estas, esto.
2- Not near the speaker (whether close to listener or far away): Use ese, esa, esos, esas, eso.

Examples of this common usage:

– Instead of the more formal «Aquellos pájaros en el cielo son hermosos» you will often hear «Esos pájaros en el cielo son hermosos» (Those birds in the sky are beautiful)

– Instead of «Aquella casa en la colina es antigua» you might hear «Esa casa en la colina es antigua.» (That house on the hill is old)

– Instead of «Aquello que pasó hace años fue difícil» people might say «Eso que pasó hace años fue difícil» (That thing that happened years ago was difficult).

This simplification happens because context usually makes the distance clear, and using ese forms is often perceived as easier or more natural in informal conversation.

 

Does this mean you should never use the ‘aquel’ forms? No! They are perfectly correct and commonly used in writing, more formal speech, or when you specifically want to emphasize the idea of something being far away or distant in time. However, don’t be surprised when native speakers use the ese forms more broadly, and feel comfortable doing so yourself in casual conversation.

 

Here’s a table to help you visualize all the forms (keeping in mind the spoken simplification):

Distance	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Masculine plural	Feminine plural	Neuter
Near speaker	este	esta	estos	estas	esto
Near listener/not far	ese	esa	esos	esas	eso
Far away	aquel	aquella	aquellos	aquellas	aquello
(Common Spoken Alternative for Far Away)	(Often replaced by ese)	(Often replaced by esa)	(Often replaced by esos)	(Often replaced by esas)	(Often replaced by eso)

 

Practical Tips for Using Demonstrative Pronouns

1- Identify the Noun: Ask yourself: What noun am I replacing?

2- Determine Gender and Number: Is that noun masculine or feminine, singular or plural?

3- Assess the Distance (Formal): How far is the object/person from you (speaker) and the listener?

• Right here? Use este/esta/estos/estas.
• Near the other person or just nearby? Use ese/esa/esos/esas.
• Far away from both of us? Use aquel/aquella/aquellos/aquellas.

 

4- Consider Spoken Usage: In casual conversation, you can often use the ese forms even for things far away.

5- Are you referring to an idea or unknown thing? Use the neuter forms esto/eso/aquello (with eso being the most common, even for distant aquello).

6- Practice, Practice, Practice: The best way to get comfortable is to use them! Point to things around you and say (or think) the correct pronoun.

7- Context is Key: Often, the situation makes it clear which pronoun is needed. Don’t stress too much initially about perfect distance; focus on getting the gender and number right, and understanding that este is near you, while ese covers most other situations in casual speech.

 

Common mistakes

– Confusing Pronouns and Adjectives: Remember, adjectives describe the noun (este libro), pronouns replace it (quiero este).

– Forgetting Agreement: Make sure the pronoun matches the gender and number of the noun it replaces.

– Overthinking Distance (Especially «Aquel»): While the three levels exist formally, relax knowing that using the ese forms broadly is very common and natural in spoken Spanish.

– Don’t Forget the Neutrals! Esto, eso, aquello (or just esto, eso in common speech) are essential for referring to abstract concepts.

 

 

Mastering Spanish demonstrative pronouns will significantly improve your ability to communicate clearly and naturally. They allow you to refer to things efficiently without constant repetition.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just keep practicing! Pointing things out in Spanish will become second nature with a little effort. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)