Demonstrative Adjectives
In English the demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate specific items in
relation to ourselves. To indicate a specific sweater that I want you to look at, I
will point to the sweater and ask "What do you think of this sweater." And you
might reply, "I don't like thatsweater".
The demonstrative adjectives serve the same purpose Spanish: este suéter" this sweater" or ese
suéter" that sweater".
But they are demonstrative adjectives! This means like all other adjectives in Spanish they must
agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
Additionally, Spanish has an extra demonstrative adjective to indicate items located physically
even farther away from you. In other words, Spanish has an equivalent to "this" and to "that", but
also has "this or that one over there."
Demonstrative Adjectives
THIS
THESE
Este abrigo, this coat
Esta bufanda, this scarf
estos abrigos, these coats
estas bufandas, these scarves
THAT
THOSE
Ese hombre, that man
Esa mujer, that woman
esos hombres, those men
esas mujeres, those women
THAT (OVER THERE)
Aquel gorro, that winter hat
Aquella gorra, that cap
THOSE (OVER THERE)
aquellos gorros, those winter hats
aquellas gorras, those caps
Hint: This and these have the “T’s”
A. This and these are expressed in Spanish as follows:
Este + masculine singular noun
Esta + feminine singular noun
Estos + masculine plural noun
Estas + feminine plural noun
B. That and those are expressed in Spanish as follows:
Ese + masculine singular noun
Esa + feminine singular noun
Esos + masculine plural noun
Esas + feminine plural noun
C. That and those (over there/ far away) are also expressed by the forms:
Aquel + masculine singular noun
Aquella + feminine singular noun
Aquellos + masculine plural noun
Aquellas + feminine plural noun