The pronounesteis used with the meaning of ‘the latter’ (‘this’ – the last
mentioned), and aquel‘the former’ (‘that’ – mentioned earlier). They agree
with nouns in number and gender as appropriate:De las dos propuestas, esta es la más original y aquella la
más práctica.
Of the two proposals, the latter is the most original and the former
the most practical.
Note: The translation of ‘those who’ is not achieved by esosor aquellos, but by
los/las que: No perdona a los que lo critican‘He does not forgive those who criti-
cize him’.Neuter demonstrative pronouns
These are used with the same meanings as the adjectives and pronouns
above, but they refer to things which bear no gender, such as statements,
actions, situations and items requiring identification:
Esto es una pesadilla. This is a nightmare.
Todo aquello es bosque virgen. All of that is virgin forest.¿Qué es eso? What is that?
Notes:
1 In speech these commonly occur in the pattern esto/eso/aquello+ de. They
convey the equivalent of English phrases like ‘this matter’, ‘that business’: eso
de no poder ver la tele‘that business of not being able to watch TV’.
2 The phrase y eso queis used with the meaning of ‘although’, ‘even though’:
Decidió ir y eso que le dije que no‘He decided to go even though I told him not
to’.
3 Other common phrases are: eso sí‘yes indeed’, ‘of course’, eso no‘certainly not’,
eso es‘that’s it’ or ‘that’s right’, eso sí que no‘no way’, por eso‘therefore’ or
‘for that reason’.4.3
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Demonstra-
tive adjectives
and pronouns