Demonstrative Adjectives in SpanishA2

Demonstrative adjectives indicate which noun is chosen according to the distance from the speaker. Este marks closeness, ese marks medium distance and aquel marks remoteness. They do not describe the quality of the noun as color or size adjectives do; they locate it in relation to the speaker. In esta mesa, esa calle and aquel edificio, the speaker indicates whether the object is nearby, at an intermediate distance, or far. If the demonstrative is changed, the exact reference of the noun changes.

The forms are este, esta, estos, estas; ese, esa, esos, esas; and aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas. They agree in gender and number with the noun they accompany, just like in Concordancia Adjetival. It is said este libro and esta mesa, but estos libros and estas mesas. With ese and aquel the same happens: ese cuaderno, esa silla, aquellos días, aquellas casas. The form changes to repeat the gender and number of the noun, not to indicate who speaks or to whom one speaks.

Base forms and noun agreement

Idea
The demonstratives este and ese change form to agree in gender and number with the noun.
The demonstrative aquel also must agree with the noun it accompanies.

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Normally they go before the noun and identify it in a concrete way. In esta calle, ese bolso and aquellos recuerdos, the demonstrative selects a person, thing or idea within a possible group. That position in front of the noun is the most common when they function as adjectives, as is the case with many Adjetivos. If the noun disappears, they no longer act as adjectives but as demonstrative pronouns. Therefore esta casa names a precise object, while esta alone substitutes it.

Position habitual before the noun

Usage	Explanation
Identification of a referent	It is used before the noun to clearly indicate which object or person the speaker is referring to.
Selection among several elements	It is used to distinguish a concrete element within a group or scene.

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Este, esta, estos and estas are used for something close to the speaker, whether in space or in the speaking situation. On a table, este vaso is the one next to the speaker; in a conversation, esta idea is the one just mentioned or the one being kept in mind. They are also used to refer to the immediate time: este año, esta mañana, estos días. The agreement follows the noun: esta calle, estos zapatos, estas fotos. In Pronombres Demostrativos the same closeness value appears when the demonstrative substitutes the noun.

Use of proximity with respect to the speaker

Usage	Explanation
Physical proximity	It is used when something is close to the speaker.
Temporal proximity	It is used to talk about something that occurs in a moment close to the present.
Emotional closeness	It is also used to express that something is very close in value or interest to the speaker.

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Ese, esa, esos y esas indicate an intermediate distance. The object is not next to the speaker, but it is not presented as far away either. In esa mesa or esos niños, the reference remains outside the immediate space. In everyday speech, ese can cover more than one distance and serve for what is simply out of the speaker's reach or for what belongs to the interlocutor. That is why you hear ese libro for a book that another person holds or for one that is a little set apart. The form changes with the noun: esa puerta, esas personas.

Variants of medium distance by region

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Spain	ese	It is used to point to something at an intermediate distance from the speaker.	Ese sombrero parece una seta elegante.That hat looks like a stylish mushroom.
Mexico	ese	In everyday use it can cover a somewhat broader distance than in other areas.	Ese perro ya parece jefe del parque.That dog already seems to be the park boss.
Argentina	ese	It can function with a flexible medium distance depending on context and gesture.	Esos globos parecen nubes con helio.Those balloons look like helium clouds.

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Aquel, aquella, aquellos y aquellas indicate the distance is far away. The distance can be physical, as in aquel puente al fondo, temporal, as in aquellos años, or mental, when the speaker places something far from the present situation. This form also serves to contrast with something closer: esta casa versus aquella casa. Its agreement follows the noun: aquella montaña, aquellos días, aquellas noticias. In texts and memories, aquel often gives a sense of greater separation than ese.

Use of spatial, temporal, and referential distance

Usage	Explanation
Spatial distance	It is used when something is far from the speaker in space.
Temporal distance	It is used to talk about a time very far from the present.
Distant reference	It is used to refer to an idea or fact already mentioned or mentally very far apart.

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The same forms can accompany the noun or substitute it. When they say este coche, esa mochila or aquellos amigos, they are demonstrative adjectives because they go with a name. When the noun does not appear, they become demonstrative pronouns: este es mío, esa no me gusta, aquellos llegaron tarde. The external form does not change, but its function does. As adjectives, the demonstrative identifies a noun; as a pronoun, it occupies the noun's place and functions alone within the sentence.

Demonstratives that substitute the noun

Usage	Explanation
Nominal substitution	When the noun does not appear, the demonstrative functions as a pronoun and replaces it.
Avoid repetition	It is used to not repeat a noun already known in the conversation.

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Esto, eso and aquello do not accompany nouns. They are used to refer to an idea, a fact, a situation or something that one does not want to name precisely. In esto no me convence, the speaker points to a present situation. In eso es verdad, something mentioned before is being referred to. In aquello fue inesperado, the reference is farther in memory or context. These forms do not agree in gender or number because they do not modify a noun. They function as neutral pronouns and have no adjectival use.

Use of neuter demonstratives

Idea
Esto, eso y aquello do not accompany nouns because they refer to ideas or situations.
The neuters are used to indicate facts or ideas without naming them directly.

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The current rule does not require a tilde in demonstratives, neither when they are adjectives nor when they are pronouns. It is written este, esa, aquello without an accent in all their normal functions. In the past, a tilde was used in some cases to distinguish adjective and pronoun, but that spelling is no longer necessary. Therefore the same graphic form is kept in este libro, este es mío and eso no importa. The separation between demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns is understood by the role they play in the sentence, not by the tilde.

Current rule about the diacritic tilde

Idea
The standard form is written without a tilde when the demonstrative accompanies or substitutes the noun.
The tilde in demonstratives is no longer mandatory in current use.

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