Spanish: An Essential Grammar

Demonstratives are the equivalent of English ‘this’/‘these’ and ‘that’/‘those’.

Spanish likewise uses the first of these two categories, but goes further by

dividing the second category of ‘that’/‘those’ into two. As a result, Spanish

has three demonstratives rather than two.

Singular Plural Neuter

Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine

estethis estathis estosthese estasthese estothis

esethat esathat esosthose esasthose esothat

aquelthat aquellathat aquellosthose aquellasthose aquellothat

The masculine and feminine forms can be used both as adjectives and as

pronouns, while the neuter forms are pronouns only.

Native speakers still commonly use a written accent to distinguish the

pronouns from the corresponding adjectives (e.g. éste‘this one’ compared

to este libro‘this book’). Since accented forms are no longer recommended

they are not shown above or below.

Demonstrative adjectives

The adjectives are normally placed before the noun (as in English), and

they agree with it in number and gender.

4.1

1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111 43

Chapter 4 Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns