Demonstrative Adjectives in Spanish

Demonstrative Adjectives in Spanish Demonstrative adjectives are those adjectives whose function is to point at something. In English, the singular demonstrative adjectives are this and that, while their  plurals are these and those, respectively. (Some grammarians refer to them as demonstrative determiners.) Key Takeaways: Spanish Demonstrative Adjectives The demonstrative adjectives or determiners of Spanish - este, ese, and aquel along with their plural and feminine forms - are used in much the same was as this, that, these, and those are used as adjectives or determiners in English.Both ese and aquel are rough equivalents of that. Aquel is used in referring to entities that are further away in time, distance, or emotional sentiment than entities that use ese.When demonstratives are used with items in a series, they typically are used for each item, unlike in English. Unlike English, Spanish has three sets of demonstrative adjectives, which vary by number and gender, so there are 12 in all: singular masculineeste (this)ese (that)aquel (that)plural masculineestos (these)esos (those)aquellos (those)singular feminineesta (this)esa (that)aquella (that)plural feminineestas (these)esas (those)aquellas (those) Note that the masculine singular forms dont end in -o. Where To Place Demonstrative Adjectives The demonstrative adjectives typically are placed before the nouns they modify. They must match the noun in both number and gender. A few examples: Me gusta este perro. (I like this dog.)Prefiero estas computadoras. (I prefer these computers.)Voy a comprar ese coche. (Im going to buy that car.)Me gustan aquellas casas. (I like those houses.) Ese or Aquel? Although ese and aquel and their related forms can be translated as that or those, there are distinctions in meaning. Ese and its related forms are more common, and youre generally safe to use them when in English youd use that or those. However, aquel and its related forms refer to something thats farther away in terms of distance, emotion, or time. Although ese and its forms can be used for an object near the speaker or listener, aquel cannot. The distinction, if not made clear by context, can be translated in various ways, as these examples indicate: Me gustan esos perros. (I like those dogs.)Me gustan aquellos perros. (I like those dogs over there.)No quiero esa casa. Quiero aquella casa. (I dont want that house. I want that house farther back.) ¿Recuerdas esos dà ­as? (Do you remember those days?) ¿Recuerdas aquellos dà ­as? (Do you remember those days long ago?) Items in a Series When two or more items are in a series, the demonstrative adjective must be used with each item. While in English we would say those dogs and cats, in Spanish we would say esos perros y esos gatos. Use of just one demonstrative adjective in this case, as in esos perros y gatos, would imply that were talking about animals that are a cross between a cat and a dog. Sample Sentences Using Demonstrative Adjectives Perseverancia: Pocos entienden el valor de esa palabra. (Perseverance: Few understand the value of that word.) Esta idea puede cambiar tu futuro. (This idea can change your future.) Siempre que veo la televisià ³n y veo a esos pobres nià ±os hambrientos en todo el mundo, no puedo evitar llorar. (Whenever I watch television and see those poor hungry children everywhere, I cant keep from crying.) Yo sabà ­a que era este mes pero no ese dà ­a. (I knew that it was this month but not that day.) Vuelvo a vivir aquellas experiencias que tuve hace muchos aà ±os. (Im going to relive those experiences I had many years ago.) Estas manos pueden construir una casa. (These hands can build a house.) Aquellos ojos azules irradiaban una luz que era casi tangible. (Those blue eyes radiated a light that was almost tangible.) Gracias por esa leccià ³n de vida. (Thank you for that lesson in life.) Esta persona no es mi amigo. (This person is not my friend.) Hay riesgos si abandonamos esas costumbres nuevas y olvida aquellas enseà ±anzas milenarias. (There are risks if we abandon those new customs and forget those traditional teachings.) Se llama radiogalaxia a aquella galaxia que irradia energà ­a con gran potencia en forma radioondas. (That galaxy that radiates powerful energy in the form of radio waves is called a radio galaxy.)   Aquel aà ±o descubrà ­ que mi à ºnico rival no era ms que mis propias debilidades. (That day I discovered that my only enemy wasnt anything more than my own weaknesses.)