35.2 Identifying places
To identify a place, Spanish often uses the verb ser, as in the identification of people,
but to ask someone to identify a place we need to use¿cuál? (sg.) or¿cuáles? (pl.) before
the appropriate form of ser:¿Cuál es tu casa?
Which is your house?
(Es) ésa.
(It is) that one.
¿Cuáles eran tus habitaciones?
Which were your rooms?
(Eran) aquéllas.
(They were) those ones.
Éste es mi hotel.
This is my hotel.12.2 (p. 49); 22.1 (p. 103);^9 (p. 40)
35.3 Identifying things
As in the identification of people and places, Spanish normally uses ser to identify
things, while questions leading to the identification of things often carry the question
words¿cuál? (sg.),¿cuáles? (pl.) or¿qué?.
¿Cuál es su maleta?
Which is your suitcase?
(Es) la azul.
(It is) the blue one.
¿Cuáles son sus cosas?
Which are your things?
(Son) ésas.
(They are) those ones.
¿Qué es esto?
What is this?
(Es) un plato mexicano.
(It is) a Mexican dish.
¿Es éste su pasaporte?
Is this your passport?12.2 (p. 49); 22.1 (p. 103);^9 (p. 40)
Identifying things 35.3