Este, Ese, Aquel: Spanish Words for “This” and “That”

English points with two words, this and that. Spanish uses three, one for each distance: este for what is near me, ese for what is near you or a bit away, and aquel for what is far from both of us. Each one also changes for gender and number, just like an adjective — and there is a special set, esto, eso, aquello, for things you don't name.

Three distances

Think of the speaker and the listener. Este points to what is close to me, ese to what is close to you or a little away, and aquel to what is far from both of us.

So English that can be ese or aquel. In everyday speech, many speakers use ese even for things that are fairly far away, so aquel is heard less in casual conversation — ¿Ves esas montañas? and ¿Ves aquellas montañas? are both fine. Aquel is still correct and understood everywhere, and it makes the contrast clear when you distinguish three distances: este, ese, aquel.

Gender and number

The demonstrative agrees with the noun it points to: masculine or feminine, singular or plural. That gives four forms for each distance.

Watch the masculine singular: it is este, ese, aquel — not a form in -o (esto and eso are different words; see below). The plurals are regular again: estos, esos, aquellos. Follow the noun's gender, not its last letter: este problema, este día, esta mano.

With a noun or on its own

When the noun is already clear, you can drop it and use the demonstrative alone. It keeps the gender and number of the noun you mean, including when you introduce people.

Write este, esta, aquel without an accent in the ordinary examples here. Under current RAE/ASALE rules, a written accent is optional only in pronoun uses when the writer perceives a risk of ambiguity. Older texts often use éste, ésta, aquél. Esto, eso, aquello never take an accent.

Esto, eso, aquello

These three are neuter: they point to something you haven't identified yet, or to an idea, a situation or something someone said. They have no plural and never go before a noun.

Before a noun, use the gendered form: —¿Qué es esto? —Es un regalo. Este regalo es para ti. The noun regalo needs este, not esto. Knowing what the object is does not stop you using a neuter form on its own to refer to the object or the situation.

This week, that day

Demonstratives also point in time. Este is for the time you are in now; ese for a time already mentioned; aquel for a time long ago, as in memories and stories.

Common mistakes

Este with a feminine noun. Casa is feminine, so the demonstrative must be feminine too.

Esto before a noun. Esto never takes a noun; a masculine noun needs este.

A made-up plural. The masculine plural of este is estos — the ending is -os, not -es.

Esto for a person. English says “this is my sister,” but Spanish introduces a person with the gendered form, not esto.

Quick exercise

Fill in the correct demonstrative using the three-distance model in the table. The hint in parentheses tells you where the thing is or what it refers to.

1. ___ mochila es nueva. (the backpack on my back)
2. ¿Me das ___ vasos, por favor? (the glasses next to you)
3. Este bolso no me gusta y ese tampoco. Quiero ___, el del fondo. (bolso, far from both of us)
4. ¿Qué es ___? No lo sé. (something in my hand you can't name)
5. ___ semana tengo mucho trabajo. (the current week)
6. —Mañana no hay clase. —¿De verdad? ¡___ es genial! (what the other person just said)
7. —¿Qué flores quieres? —___, las rojas de aquí. (flores, near me)
8. ___ chico es mi hermano, Pablo. (introducing a boy standing next to me)