Demonstrative adjectives in Spanish are an essential component of the language, helping speakers and writers to identify and distinguish between objects based on their relative location or proximity to the speaker and listener. This explanation will cover the basic forms of demonstrative adjectives in Spanish, their uses, variations in different regions, and examples of how they function in sentences.
What are demonstrative adjectives in Spanish?
Demonstrative adjectives in Spanish are similar to their English counterparts ("this," "that," "these," and "those"), but they come in three different sets based on proximity: near the speaker, near the listener, and far from both. Each set has different forms depending on the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun they modify.
- Near the Speaker (Este, Esta, Estos, Estas)
- Este (masculine singular): Used to refer to a masculine singular noun that is close to the speaker.
- Example: Este libro (This book)
- Esta (feminine singular): Used to refer to a feminine singular noun that is close to the speaker.
- Example: Esta casa (This house)
- Estos (masculine plural): Used to refer to masculine plural nouns that are close to the speaker.
- Example: Estos libros (These books)
- Estas (feminine plural): Used to refer to feminine plural nouns that are close to the speaker.
- Example: Estas casas (These houses)
Near the Listener (Ese, Esa, Esos, Esas)
- Ese (masculine singular): Used to refer to a masculine singular noun that is close to the listener.
- Example: Ese libro (That book)
- Esa (feminine singular): Used to refer to a feminine singular noun that is close to the listener.
- Example: Esa casa (That house)
- Esos (masculine plural): Used to refer to masculine plural nouns that are close to the listener.
- Example: Esos libros (Those books)
- Esas(feminine plural): Used to refer to feminine plural nouns that are close to the listener.
- Example: Esas casas (Those houses)
Far from Both (Aquel, Aquella, Aquellos, Aquellas)
- Aquel (masculine singular): Used to refer to a masculine singular noun that is far from both the speaker and the listener.
- Example: Aquel libro (That book over there)
- Aquella (feminine singular): Used to refer to a feminine singular noun that is far from both the speaker and the listener.
- Example: Aquella casa (That house over there)
- Aquellos(masculine plural): Used to refer to masculine plural nouns that are far from both the speaker and the listener.
- Example: Aquellos libros (Those books over there)
- Aquellas (feminine plural): Used to refer to feminine plural nouns that are far from both the speaker and the listener.
- Example: Aquellas casas (Those houses over there)
Usage and Examples
Demonstrative adjectives are used to specify which noun is being referred to and to indicate the relative position of the noun in relation to the speaker and the listener. Here are detailed examples to illustrate their usage:
Near the Speaker:
- - Singular Masculine: **Este**
- Example: Este coche es mío. (This car is mine.)
- - Singular Feminine: **Esta**
- Example: Esta silla está rota. (This chair is broken.)
- - Plural Masculine: **Estos**
- Example: Estos zapatos son nuevos. (These shoes are new.)
- - Plural Feminine: **Estas**
- Example: Estas flores huelen bien. (These flowers smell good.)
Near the Listener:
- - Singular Masculine: **Ese**
- Example: Ese perro es tuyo. (That dog is yours.)
- - Singular Feminine: **Esa**
- Example: Esa camiseta es bonita. (That shirt is pretty.)
- - Plural Masculine: **Esos**
- Example: Esos hombres están cansados. (Those men are tired.)
- - Plural Feminine: **Esas**
- Example: Esas mesas están ocupadas. (Those tables are occupied.)
Far from Both:
- - Singular Masculine: **Aquel**
- Example: Aquel edificio es antiguo. (That building over there is old.)
- - Singular Feminine: **Aquella**
- Example: Aquella montaña es alta. (That mountain over there is tall.)
- - Plural Masculine: **Aquellos**
- Example: Aquellos niños están jugando. (Those children over there are playing.)
- - Plural Feminine: **Aquellas**
- Example: Aquellas estrellas brillan mucho. (Those stars over there shine a lot.)
