Language/Spanish/Grammar/Demonstrative-Adjectives

Spanish Grammar → Adjectives → Demonstrative Adjectives

As a Spanish language teacher for 20 years, I'm excited to introduce you to demonstrative adjectives in Spanish. Adjectives are an essential part of learning Spanish, and they help you to describe and modify nouns. Demonstrative adjectives, in particular, are used to indicate the proximity of a noun to the speaker or the listener.

What are Demonstrative Adjectives?

Demonstrative adjectives are words that are used to indicate which noun is being referred to and its proximity to either the speaker or the listener. In English, we use the words "this," "that," "these," and "those" as demonstrative adjectives.

In Spanish, there are three demonstrative adjectives:

• "Este" (this)
• "Ese" (that)
• "Aquel" (that, over there)

"Este" is used to indicate something that is close to the speaker, "ese" is used to indicate something that is close to the listener, and "aquel" is used to indicate something that is far away from both the speaker and the listener.

How to Use Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that if the noun is feminine and singular, the demonstrative adjective must also be feminine and singular. If the noun is masculine and plural, the demonstrative adjective must also be masculine and plural.

Here are the different forms of each demonstrative adjective:

• "Este" (this):
  • Masculine Singular: "Este libro" (this book)
  • Feminine Singular: "Esta mesa" (this table)
  • Masculine Plural: "Estos libros" (these books)
  • Feminine Plural: "Estas mesas" (these tables)

• "Ese" (that):
  • Masculine Singular: "Ese libro" (that book)
  • Feminine Singular: "Esa mesa" (that table)
  • Masculine Plural: "Esos libros" (those books)
  • Feminine Plural: "Esas mesas" (those tables)

• "Aquel" (that, over there):
  • Masculine Singular: "Aquel libro" (that book over there)
  • Feminine Singular: "Aquella mesa" (that table over there)
  • Masculine Plural: "Aquellos libros" (those books over there)
  • Feminine Plural: "Aquellas mesas" (those tables over there)

When using demonstrative adjectives, it's important to remember that they come before the noun they modify. For example: "Este libro es interesante" (This book is interesting).

Examples

Here are a few examples of how to use demonstrative adjectives in Spanish:

• "Este perro es grande" (This dog is big)
• "Esa casa es bonita" (That house is pretty)
• "Aquellos chicos son divertidos" (Those boys over there are fun)

Practice

Now let's practice! Fill in the blank with the correct demonstrative adjective:

1. _____ libro es aburrido. (That book over there is boring) 2. _____ chicas son simpáticas. (These girls are nice) 3. _____ zapatos son caros. (Those shoes are expensive) 4. _____ mesa es pequeña. (This table is small)

Answers: 1. Aquel 2. Estas 3. Esos 4. Esta

Sources

• Demonstrative Adjective
• Spanish Grammar

Table of Contents - Spanish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Spanish

• The Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Nouns and Gender
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Subject Pronouns

  ---

Verbs

• Present Tense Verbs
• Ser and Estar
• Reflexive Verbs

  ---

Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Demonstrative Adjectives

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Pronouns

• Direct Object Pronouns
• Indirect Object Pronouns

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Common Words and Phrases

• Greetings and Salutations
• Numbers and Counting
• Days of the Week and Months of the Year

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Restaurant Phrases

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Travel and Directions

• Asking for Directions
• Hotel Vocabulary

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Spanish-Speaking Countries

• Spain: History and Culture
• Latin America: History and Culture

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Celebrations and Festivals

• Día de los Muertos
• Cinco de Mayo

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Hispanic Heritage Month

• Notable Hispanic Figures
• Hispanic Influence on Music and Dance