This, that and that one over there
English points twice, with 'this' and 'that'. Spanish points three times. Este is what is by me, ese what is by you, aquel what is far from us both. For example: “Este cargador es mío, ese es de mi hermana” — This charger is mine, that one is my sister's. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English points twice, with 'this' and 'that'. Spanish points three times. Este is what is by me, ese what is by you, aquel what is far from us both.
Este teléfono is the one in my hand. Ese cargador is the one in yours. Aquella tienda is the shop down the street. The choice follows whose side the thing is on.
Each of the three has four forms, because it agrees with the thing: este botón, esta pantalla, estos cables, estas fotos. The matching adverbs are aquí, ahí and allí.
The genderless forms esto, eso and aquello point at a situation, not at a named thing. ¿Qué es esto? No digas eso. Before a noun they are wrong.
Table
| near me | near you | far from both | |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine, singular | este | ese | aquel |
| feminine, singular | esta | esa | aquella |
| masculine, plural | estos | esos | aquellos |
| feminine, plural | estas | esas | aquellas |
| no gender | esto | eso | aquello |
| place adverb | aquí | ahí | allí |
By example
- Este cargador es mío, ese es de mi hermanaThis charger is mine, that one is my sister's
- Aquella iglesia del final de la calle es del siglo quinceThat church at the end of the street is from the fifteenth century
- ¿Qué es esto? No he pedido nada de esoWhat is this? I didn't order anything of the sort
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
This, that and that one over there: how does it work in Spanish?
English points twice, with 'this' and 'that'. Spanish points three times. Este is what is by me, ese what is by you, aquel what is far from us both.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Este cargador es mío, ese es de mi hermana” — This charger is mine, that one is my sister's. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.