Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns

• Demonstrative adjectives are words in English such as 'this', 'that', 'these' and 'those'.

• In Spanish there are two different ways to say 'that' and 'those' according to whether the object is close or far away.

• Demonstrative pronouns also mean ‘this’ or ‘that’. They are different from demonstrative adjectives as they stand alone in a sentence.

Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out a specific thing or person, or to emphasise something. In English, 'this', 'that', 'these' and 'those' are examples of demonstrative adjectives.

The table shows the three groups of demonstrative adjectives in Spanish:

• this/these

• that/those (nearby)

• that/those (further away)

Note that the masculine singular for este/ese does not end in o but the plural does end in os.

Demonstrative adjectives need to agree with the noun they are describing.

For example:

Me gustan estas manzanas. - I like these apples.

There are two different ways of saying that and those in Spanish. Use ese, esa, esos, esas when something is nearby and aquello, aquella, aquellos, aquellas when something is further away.

For example:

Esta casa es pequeña. - This house is small.

Esa casa es pequeña. - That house is small. (The house is nearby)

Aquella casa es pequeña. - That house is small. (The house is further away)

Demonstrative pronouns follow the same pattern as demonstrative adjectives and mean 'this' or 'that'. Demonstrative pronouns are different from demonstrative adjectives as they stand alone in a sentence.

For example in this sentence ‘this’ is a demonstrative adjective:

This house is big.

In this sentence ‘this’ is a demonstrative pronoun, and replaces the noun in the sentence:

This is big.

The table below contains the masculine and feminine and singular and plural forms of demonstrative pronouns.

Demonstrative pronouns stand alone and agree with the noun they replace.

For example:

Mi coche es más rápido que este. - My car is faster than this one.

Coche is masculine singular so este needs to agree with it and also be masculine singular. The pronoun este replaces the noun to avoid repetition.

La casa es más grande que esta. - The house is bigger than this one.

Casa is a feminine singular noun so the demonstrative pronoun that replaces the noun needs to be in the feminine singular form.

Practise what you've learned about demonstrative adjectives and pronouns with this quiz.

Neuter demonstrative pronouns are often used to refer to abstract ideas or when the noun’s gender is unknown or not yet identified.

For example:

Me encanta cuando hace mucho calor. ¡Eso también me encanta! - I love it when it’s very hot. I love that too!

¿Qué es esto? - What is that?

Aquello fue horrible. - That was horrible.

Now you have learned about demonstrative adjectives and pronouns why not explore the position of adjectives in Spanish?