Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
- Adjetivos y pronombres demostrativos
What are demonstratives in Spanish?
Demonstratives can function as adjectives and pronouns.
Demonstratives are very common in Spanish. We use them to express the distance (spatial or temporal) between the person speaking and the things or people they speak about.
These are the demonstratives in Spanish
We'll study some of its characteristics.
Demonstrative adjectives
When they function as an adjective, demonstratives accompany the noun, generally in front of it. They always agree in gender and number with that noun.
Me gusta este pantalón
Veamos esa película
¿Quienes son aquellos niños?
Demonstrative pronouns
If they do not accompany a noun, the demonstratives refer to another previous noun.
- El ejercicio número 3... Ese es el más difícil.
- Me gusta la camisa verde, pero es un poco cara; esa es más barata.
Previously, demonstrative pronouns were accented to distinguish them from adjectives in cases of possible ambiguity, but, as of 2010, they are no longer accented.
The neutral "eso"
In addition to the masculine and feminine, demonstratives also have another form: the neuter. Spanish has no neuter nouns, which is why neuter demonstratives never accompany a noun or refer to people. This fact also explains that the neuter does not change (it has no plural). The neutral is used:
1- To refer to the predicate, i.e. the verb with its complements:
- Necesito aprender inglés.
- Eso es fácil. Puede tomar clases online.
2 - Refer to a statement, more or less extensive, or to fragments of statements already said:
- En 2050, la población de nuestro planeta ascenderá a 9.700 millones de personas.
- ¿Eso es verdad?
In this case it is very common to summarize or show an explanation or conclusion:
- Tengo que estudiar mucho... Por eso no puedo salir hoy.
3 - To refer to things we don't know
- ¿Qué es eso?
- No sé, parece un gato.
4 - To talk about things we know but don't say because they are obvious, we see them, we point them out, etc.
- ¿A donde vas con eso?
- Voy a pescar.
5 - To refer to different things (masculine and feminine) and we call them a set.
- Cinco blusas, tres pantalones, una chaqueta, un bolso… ¿Vas a comprar todo eso?
Demonstratives to introduce other people
We also use demonstratives to introduce other people (or in similar situations). In these cases the correspondence is established with a name. It is normal to explain in detail our relationship with those people.
- Antonio, este es mi amigo Guillermo y esta, su novia, María.
Demonstratives and the expression of time
Demonstratives are also linked to the expression of time, and also use concepts of proximity and distance: este, esta, estos, estas show a current moment (present, previous or subsequent, but which we express as close as possible to the moment we speak).
Esta semana tengo mucho trabajo.
Lo siento, en este momento no se puede poner al teléfono.
Esta mañana he venido en bicicleta a la universidad.
Esta noche ceno con Eduardo. Vamos a un restaurante nuevo.
The use of este, esta, estos, estas has an independent meaning: it does not need context to express time. On the other hand, the use of ese, esa, esos, esas, aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas needs context to offer specific temporal information... Without context, we only know that they are not current. Logically, these demonstratives are usually combined with past tenses.
For the expression of time, the demonstratives ese, esa, esos, esas never express proximity, they are never linked to the current moment.
- Aquellas vacaciones fueron maravillosas.
- ¡Perú, en 2011...! Aquellas vacaciones fueron maravillosas.
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