Demonstratives in Spanish

Spanish demonstratives point to people or things: this, that, these, and those.

A useful beginner rule is:

• este / esta / estos / estas → this / these, close to the speaker
• ese / esa / esos / esas → that / those, farther from the speaker

	Masculine	Feminine
this	este	esta
these	estos	estas
that	ese	esa
those	esos	esas

How to use demonstratives

A demonstrative normally comes before a noun and must match its gender and number.

• este jersey — this sweater
• esta camiseta — this T-shirt
• estos zapatos — these shoes
• estas tiendas — these shops
• ese abrigo — that coat
• esa falda — that skirt
• esos pantalones — those trousers
• esas casas — those houses

Examples

• Esta camisa es bonita. — This shirt is pretty.
• ¿Cuánto cuesta ese abrigo? — How much is that coat?
• Me gustan estos zapatos. — I like these shoes.
• Esas tiendas están cerradas. — Those shops are closed.
• ¿Quieres este libro o ese libro? — Do you want this book or that book?

Este vs ese

Use este forms for something relatively close to the speaker.

• Quiero esta camiseta. — I want this T-shirt.

Use ese forms for something farther away or closer to the person you are speaking to.

• ¿Cuánto cuesta esa camiseta? — How much is that T-shirt?

In real conversations, the exact distance is flexible. The important idea for beginners is este = closer and ese = farther away.

What about aquel?

Spanish also has aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas, usually for something farther away from both the speaker and the listener.

• Me gusta aquella casa. — I like that house over there.

For beginners, it is useful to learn este and ese first. You can add aquel when you are comfortable with the basic system.

Common mistake

Demonstratives must agree with the noun:

• ✅ este jersey
• ❌ esta jersey
• ✅ esta camiseta
• ❌ este camiseta

This is the same basic agreement pattern you see with articles and adjective agreement.

Quick rule

este = this, ese = that; then match the noun’s gender and number.