Everything you need to know about Spanish demonstratives

Publicado el 18 de enero de 2025 por Cecilia N.

What are demonstratives?

Demonstratives are words that help us express the physical or temporal distance of an object or person in relation to the speaker or listener. In Spanish, we can express three levels of proximity: cerca (near), distancia media (far), and lejos (far away).

Cerca: Estos son los niños de María.
These are Maria’s children.

Distancia media: No me gusta esa idea.
I don’t like that idea.

Lejos: Vamos a escalar aquella montaña.
We are going to climb that mountain.

To indicate closeness, we can use the words aquí, acá, este, estos, esta, estas, or esto.

If we want to say that something or someone is at an intermediate point (neither here nor there, but somewhere in between) we use ahí, ese, esos, esa, esas, or eso.

On the other hand, if we want to express that something is far, we use allí, allá, aquel, aquellos, aquella, aquellas, or aquello.

Let’s start with the adverbs of place aquí or acá (here), ahí (there), and allí or allá (over there).

Aquí or acá

If we want to point out that something is right at the point where we are, we use the adverbs aquí or acá, for example:

Mis papás viven aquí.
Mis papás viven acá.
My parents live here.

Aquí todo es muy caro.
Acá todo es muy caro.
Everything is expensive here.

Both aquí and acá can be used interchangeably. Their usage varies depending on the region or speaker’s preference. In some Latin American countries acá is preferred, while European Spanish prefers aquí. It’s also considered that aquí is more common in written language, while acá is more frequent is spoken language.

Ahí

To indicate that the speaker or listener is not very far from something or someone, but not immediately close to it, we use the adverb of place ahí.

Las llaves están ahí sobre la mesa.
The keys are (there) on the table.

Ahí viene el autobús.
There comes the bus.

Allí or allá

The adverbs allí or allá are used interchangeably to express that something or someone is located at a distant point. Like aquí or acá, their usage varies depending on the speaker’s preference or cultural context.

No quiero ir allí, ese lugar me da mala vibra.
No quiero ir allá, ese lugar me da mala vibra.
I don’t want to go there, that place gives me a bad feeling.  

Allí, en medio del caos, encontré la inspiración para mi próxima obra.
Allá, en medio del caos, encontré la inspiración para mi próxima obra.
There, in the midst of chaos, I found inspiration for my next work. 

⚠️ ¡Atención!
It’s necessary to highlight that the use of adverbs of place, especially ahí, allí or allá, doesn’t follow exact rules regarding what is considered an intermediate or distant point. The individual perception of the speaker, their context, and the communicative purpose can significantly influence the choice of each term.

For example, in the sentences:

Allí, en el fondo del cajón, encontré la carta que estaba buscando.
Ahí, en el fondo del cajón, encontré la carta que estaba buscando.
There, at the bottom of the drawer, I found the letter I had been looking for.

Both allí and ahí may refer to a place close to the speaker, although allí may suggest a greater distance or simply emphasize the location where the letter was found.

Demonstrative pronouns or demonstrative adjectives?

Demonstrative pronouns or demonstrative adjectives share the same function of indicating or pointing out objects, people, places, or ideas in relation to the speaker and the context in which they are found. However, the main difference lies in how they are used in the sentence.

Demonstrative pronouns: They replace a specific noun in the sentence. In other words, they take the place of a proper or common noun.

No quiero este, quiero el otro.
I don’t want this one, I want the other one.
Here este replaces a specific noun, which could be an object or an item previously mentioned or implied in the conversation.

¿Cuál prefieres, este o aquel?
Which one do you prefer, this one or that one?
Here, este and aquel also replace unspecified nouns.

Demonstrative adjectives: They accompany a noun and modify it to indicate its position or location in relation to the speaker or another object.

Este libro es interesante.
This book is interesting.
Here este modifies the noun libro (book).

Esa casa es hermosa.
That house is beautiful.
Here esa modifies the noun casa (house).

So, the main difference is that pronouns substitute for a noun, while adjectives modify or describe a noun without replacing it.

Gender and number of demonstratives

In addition to being classified by degree of proximity, demonstratives are categorized according to their gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural). It’s important to note that demonstratives must always agree with the noun they modify.

Esos niños han estado jugando toda la tarde.
Those kids have been playing all afternoon.
In this sentence, the demonstrative adjective esos agrees in gender and number with the noun niños (kids) since both are masculine and plural.

Fui al gimnasio esta mañana.
I went to the gym this morning.
In this case, the demonstrative adjective esta agrees in gender and number with the noun mañana (morning) since both are feminine and singular.

Este, estos, esta, estas

Demonstratives este, estos, esta, and estas are used to point out or indicate objects, people, places, or ideas that are close to the speaker in time and space.

Este (this ‹one›): It’s used with singular masculine nouns.

No entiendo este ejercicio de matemáticas.
I don’t understand this math exercise.

Estos (these ‹ones›): It’s used with plural masculine nouns.

Estos zapatos me quedan apretados.
These shoes are tight on me.

Esta (this ‹one›): It’s used with singular feminine nouns.

Esta película es muy mala, pon otra.
This movie is very bad, play another one.

Estas (these ‹ones›): It’s used with plural feminine nouns.

¡Estas fresas están deliciosas!
These strawberries are delicious!

Ese, esos, esa, esas

Demonstratives ese, esos, esa and esas are used to point out or indicate objects, people, places, or ideas that are at an intermediate distance (not immediately close, nor very far) to the speaker in time and space.

Ese (that ‹one›): It’s used with singular masculine nouns.

Ese edificio abandonado siempre me intriga.
That abandoned building always intrigues me.

Esos (those ‹ones›): It’s used with plural masculine nouns.

Esos zapatos rojos de la vitrina me llaman la atención.
Those red shoes in the display case catch my eye.

Esa (that ‹one›): It’s used with singular feminine nouns.

Esa canción tiene un ritmo único que me encanta.
That song has a unique rhythm that I love.

Esas (those ‹ones›): It’s used with plural feminine nouns.

Esas nubes en el horizonte parecen pintadas en el cielo.
Those clouds on the horizon look like they’re painted in the sky.

Aquel, aquellos, aquella, aquellas

Demonstratives aquel, aquellos, aquella and aquellas are used to point out or indicate objects, people, places, or ideas that are far from the speaker in time and space.

Aquel (that ‹one over there›): It’s used with singular masculine nouns.

Aquel momento siempre permanecerá vivo en mi mente.
That moment will always remain alive in my mind.

Aquellos (those ‹ones over there›): It’s used with plural masculine nouns.

Aquellos días en los que solíamos pasear sin rumbo eran los mejores.
Those days where we used to wander around aimlessly were the best.

Aquella (that ‹one over there›): It’s used with singular feminine nouns.

Recuerdo aquella casa antigua que visitamos durante nuestras vacaciones.
I remember that old house we visited during our vacation.

Aquellas (those ‹ones over there›): It’s used with plural feminine nouns.

Aquellas nubes en el horizonte parecen pintadas en el cielo.
Those clouds on the horizon look like they’re painted in the sky.

How are neutral demonstrative pronouns esto, eso, and aquello used?

Demonstrative pronouns esto, eso, and aquello are used to indicate objects, places, or ideas (not people) in a more general way in relation to the context of the conversation or discourse.

They are also used to describe or inquire about something that is not specific or clearly defined, a situation, an experience, an abstract concept, or something mentioned previously.

In turn, they are called neutral pronouns because they don’t refer to the gender of the objects or ideas they indicate. Unlike other demonstrative pronouns that vary by gender, neutral pronouns lack this distinction, making them useful for expressing general ideas or referring to something abstract.

Esto (this): It’s used to refer to something that is close to the speaker in time or space.

¿Qué es esto?
What is this?
It inquires about something unidentified.

Esto es increíble.
This is amazing.
It describes something nonspecific, in this case, a situation.

Esto es lo que necesitábamos.
This is what we needed.
It refers to something mentioned previously.

Eso (that): It’s used to refer to something that has already been mentioned or that is evident in the context.

No entiendo eso.
I don’t understand that.
It refers to something mentioned previously or something abstract.

Eso parece peligroso.
That seems dangerous. 
It refers to something mentioned previously.

¿Qué es eso que está sobre la mesa?
What’s that on the table?
It inquires about something unidentified.

Aquello (that): It’s used to refer to something that is distant in time or space, or that is mentioned in a more abstract manner. It can be used interchangeably with eso.

Aquello me recuerda a nuestra infancia.
That reminds me of our childhood.
It refers to something mentioned previously.

No puedo ver bien aquello.
I can’t see that clearly.
It refers to something unidentified or not clearly visible.

Aquello es lo que estaba buscando.
That is what I was looking for.
It refers to something mentioned or seen previously.

In summary, demonstratives, both in the form of pronouns and adjectives, play an important role in communication by helping us point out objects, people, places, or ideas based on their physical or temporal proximity to the speaker and listener.

In Spanish, demonstratives are divided into three categories according to distance: close (cerca), at an intermediate point (distancia media), and far (lejos), and they can vary in gender (masculine, feminine), and number (singular, plural) to agree with the noun they accompany or modify.

Furthermore, neutral demonstratives esto, eso, and aquello, are used to refer to entities in a more general way in relation to the context of the discourse, without emphasizing the gender of the referents.

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