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.

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.

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.

eseeseese

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En el uso cotidiano puede abarcar una distancia algo más amplia que en otras zonasSe usa para señalar algo en una distancia intermedia respecto del hablantePuede funcionar con una distancia media flexible según el contexto y el gesto

Variantes de distancia media por región

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
España	ese	Used to point to something at an intermediate distance from the speaker.	Ese sombrero parece una seta elegante.
México	ese	In everyday use it can cover a somewhat wider distance than in other areas.	Ese perro ya parece jefe del parque.
Argentina	ese	Can function with a flexible middle distance depending on context and gesture.	Esos globos parecen nubes con helio.

Scramble

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.