Este, Ese, Aquel - This, That, That Over There

In English, you have two distances: this (close) and that (further away). Spanish gives you three. Once you learn which is which, pointing at something in a shop becomes precise: not just "that one", but that one right next to you versus that one across the room. By the end of this lesson, you can walk into Zara, point at the exact jersey you want, and say it in the right gender and number — first try.

Three Distances, Not Two

Spanish demonstratives map to where the thing is, not just whether it's close to you:

Distance	Form (masculine sg.)	English
Close to me	este	this (here)
Close to you	ese	that (there)
Far from both of us	aquel	that (over there)

Think of it as three zones:

• Este libro — the book in my hand.
• Ese libro — the book on your side of the table.
• Aquel libro — the book on the shelf across the room.

In a shop, this is exactly the geography you need. The jersey you're holding is este. The one your friend just held up is ese. The one in the window across the room is aquel.

Gender and Number — Four Forms Each

Demonstratives agree with the noun they point at. So each of the three words has four forms — masculine and feminine, singular and plural:

Distance	masc. sg.	fem. sg.	masc. pl.	fem. pl.
this	este	esta	estos	estas
that	ese	esa	esos	esas
that (far)	aquel	aquella	aquellos	aquellas

A few patterns to lock in:

• The masculine singulars (este, ese, aquel) are the only forms that don't end in -os or -as. Everything else follows the regular -o/-a pattern.
• Aquel doesn't have an -o on the end, but aquella, aquellos, aquellas do. It's the one form that breaks the rhythm.

Try a few real sentences:

• Este jersey es muy bonito. – This jumper is very nice.
• Esta camiseta no me gusta. – I don't like this t-shirt.
• Esos zapatos son caros. – Those shoes are expensive.
• Aquellas gafas son las mías. – Those glasses over there are mine.
• ¿Cuánto cuesta aquel bolso? – How much is that handbag over there?

When You Don't Know What It Is — Esto, Eso, Aquello

Sometimes you point at something and you don't know its name yet — or you don't even know if it's a thing or a situation. Spanish has neuter forms for exactly that:

• ¿Qué es esto? – What's this? (You're holding something weird.)
• No me gusta eso. – I don't like that. (A situation, an attitude, something just said.)
• Aquello fue increíble. – That (back then) was amazing.

Three rules:

1. Esto, eso, aquello end in -o and never change. No gender, no plural.
2. Use them when you don't know the noun or you're talking about a situation rather than an object.
3. Once you know the noun, switch back to the gendered form: ¿qué es esto? — es un destornillador. Ah, este destornillador no me sirve.

A Useful Shopping Pattern

In a Spanish shop, you'll combine demonstratives with prefiero, quiero, ¿cuánto cuesta? and the colour or size:

• Prefiero ese, en azul. – I prefer that one, in blue.
• ¿Tienen esta en mediano? – Do you have this one in medium?
• Aquellos son muy caros, ¿hay otros más baratos? – Those over there are very expensive — are there cheaper ones?

A small Castilian note on pronunciation: the c in cinco and the z in azul are pronounced differently in Spain — cinco carries the theta (THIN-ko), but azul has it on the z (ah-THOOL). You'll hear both constantly when shopping.

Practice

Words to Remember

Spanish	English
este / esta	this (m. / f.)
estos / estas	these (m. / f.)
ese / esa	that (m. / f., near you)
esos / esas	those (m. / f., near you)
aquel / aquella	that one over there (m. / f.)
aquellos / aquellas	those over there (m. / f.)
esto	this thing (neuter)
eso	that thing (neuter)
la tienda	the shop
el jersey	the jumper
la camiseta	the t-shirt
los pantalones	the trousers
los zapatos	the shoes
el bolso	the handbag
el escaparate	the shop window
el probador	the changing room

Conversation

Looking at jumpers

Carlos: ¿Te gusta este jersey azul? Do you like this blue jumper?

María: Sí, pero prefiero ese verde. Yes, but I prefer that green one.

Carlos: Buena elección. Good choice.

Pointing at the window

María: ¿Cuánto cuesta aquel bolso del escaparate? How much is that handbag in the window over there?

Carlos: Aquel cuesta cuarenta euros. That one is forty euros.

María: Me lo llevo. I'll take it.

Trying on trousers

María: ¿Tenéis estos pantalones en mediano? Do you have these trousers in medium?

Carlos: Sí, ¿y esos zapatos también? Yes, and those shoes too?

María: No, esos no me gustan. No, I don't like those.