THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE

(Demonstrative Adjectives/Pronouns)
1. Este (this)
Used to point out nouns which are close the speaker as well as the person to whom he or she is speaking.
It is normally within reaching distance.
Heres a rhyme to help you remember: THIS and THESE have the Ts
THIS THESE
este* estos
esta estas
_____________ burritos son fantsticos! (These burritos are fantastic!)
______________ restaurante es mi favorito. (This restaurant is my favorite.)
______________casa es grandsima. (This house is enormous.)
______________ pizzas son ricas. (These pizzas are delicious.)

2. Ese (that)
Used to point out nouns which are further from the speaker and not easily within reach.
The noun may be close to the listener, but not the speaker.
THAT THOSE
ese* esos
esa esas

Trame ________________ camisa, por favor. (Bring me that shirt, please.)
_________________ monos son cmicos. (Those monkeys are funny.)
_______________ botas son mis favoritas. (Those boots are my favorites.)
Quiero _______________ helado blanco. (I want that white ice cream.)

3. Aquel (that/those over there)
Used to point out nouns which are far away from both the speaker and the listener, but within visual distance.
Can also be used to refer to items not in the vicinity.
THAT THOSE
(way over there) (way over there)
aquel* aquellos
aquella aquellas

________________ oso es peligroso. (That bear over there is dangerous.)
________________ plantas son gigantes. (Those plants are huge.)
________________chica es muy guapa. (That girl over there is really pretty.)
_______________ edificios son los ms viejos de la ciudad. (Those buildings over there
are the oldest in the city.)
*Note that the masculine singular forms don't end in -o.


Each demonstrative pronoun also has a neuter form. They do not change for number or gender,
and they are used to refer to abstract ideas, or to an unknown object.
esto = this This is important! = Esto es importante!
eso = that Thats it! = Eso es!
aquello = that way over there Those were the good days = Aquellos eran los tiempos buenos.
That is a good idea. ____________es una buena idea.
What is this? ___________Qu es _________?
All those over there are free? Todo ___________ es gratis?
In many cases, "that" doesn't have to be translated at all, especially where "it" could be used as
well. For example, "that's impossible" could usually be translated as either "eso es imposible" or
merely "es imposible."

Accent or no?
Note: The rule used to be that the demonstrative pronouns (the ones used by themselves) always carried a written accent, while the
demonstrative adjectives did not. But in 1959 the Real Academia Espaola, the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish
language, revised its spelling rules. Thus, in practice, the written accent is not required. However, it should also be noted that not
everyone has jumped on the RAE bandwagon, -- including Madrid's daily newspaper El Pas as well as the majority of Spanish
grammars that you are likely to encounter. So, here is the old rule you will likely see in practice:
When you use them ALONE, they need an accent.
That one This one These ones Those ones
se ste stos sos
sa sta stas sas