Demonstratives: aquest, aquesta, aquests, aquestes | Catalan Grammar

The demonstratives aquest, aquesta, aquests, and aquestes point to a person or thing that the speaker presents as near, current, or immediately relevant. English marks number in this/these but not gender; Catalan demonstratives agree with the noun in both gender and number.

In ordinary Central Catalan, the everyday spatial system is usually two-way: aquest for the near or current sphere and aquell for the distant sphere. Other regions maintain a productive middle-distance series, so the page separates the Central baseline from the broader map on regional demonstratives.

The proximal paradigm

	Masculine	Feminine
singular	aquest llibre	aquesta revista
plural	aquests llibres	aquestes revistes

Aquest llibre és curt, però aquesta revista és molt llarga.

This book is short, but this magazine is very long.

Aquests carrers són estrets i aquestes places són tranquil·les.

These streets are narrow, and these squares are quiet.

The demonstrative, noun, and adjective agree independently. Masculine plural aquests carrers estrets contrasts with feminine plural aquestes places tranquil·les. Do not use aquest as a one-size-fits-all form.

Before a vowel, the demonstrative does not apostrophize: aquest arbre, aquesta escola, aquests avis, aquestes amigues. Its full written form remains.

Aquest arbre tapa l'entrada d'aquesta escola.

This tree blocks the entrance to this school.

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Learn the four forms as two visible pairs: masculine aquest/aquests, feminine aquesta/aquestes. Then make the noun and every ordinary descriptive adjective match.

Pointing to something in the immediate situation

Use aquest when a gesture, gaze, touch, or shared activity places the referent in the speaker's immediate sphere.

Passa'm aquesta tassa d'aquí, si us plau.

Pass me this cup here, please.

Qui ha deixat aquestes claus damunt la taula?

Who left these keys on the table?

The adverb aquí can reinforce proximity but is not compulsory. The demonstrative already directs attention; gesture and context finish the identification.

The near/far contrast is context-sensitive rather than a fixed measurement:

Dona'm aquest bolígraf que tinc al costat.

Give me this pen beside me.

Dona'm aquell bolígraf que hi ha al fons.

Give me that pen over there at the back.

The minimal change aquest → aquell moves the pen from the speaker's current sphere to a distant one. In Central conversation, aquest can also cover an item near the addressee if the interaction treats it as immediately accessible; speakers do not calculate distance with a ruler.

Discourse and time can also be “near”

Demonstratives point inside a conversation or text as well as in physical space. Aquesta idea can mean the idea just mentioned; aquest capítol means the current chapter; aquesta setmana means the week containing the speaking moment.

Aquesta idea em sembla més pràctica que l'anterior.

This idea seems more practical to me than the previous one.

En aquest capítol explicarem aquestes dues excepcions.

In this chapter we'll explain these two exceptions.

Aquesta setmana treballo des de casa, però la setmana vinent tornaré a l'oficina.

This week I'm working from home, but next week I'll return to the office.

The demonstrative presents its referent as mentally active. A physically distant object can therefore take aquest if the speaker has just placed it at the center of discussion.

Definite article versus demonstrative

Both a definite article and a demonstrative identify a referent, but they do not contribute the same instruction. The article says the listener can identify it; the demonstrative actively selects it from the present situation or discourse.

Tanca la finestra abans de marxar.

Close the window before leaving.

Tanca aquesta finestra; l'altra ha de quedar oberta.

Close this window; the other one must stay open.

The first sentence assumes that the relevant window is already obvious. The second contrasts one window with another, so aquesta directs attention to the selected member. Overusing demonstratives where simple el/la is enough can sound insistent, as though the listener needs repeated pointing.

Demonstratives also carry an attitudinal effect in some contexts. Aquest soroll! can present the noise as immediately intrusive, while el soroll merely identifies it. Intonation and context create that evaluation; aquest is not inherently negative.

Aquest soroll no em deixa concentrar.

This noise won't let me concentrate.

Demonstratives replace the definite article

In the neutral order, the demonstrative occupies the determiner position before the noun. Do not add el/la/els/les:

aquest cotxe, not aquest el cotxe;
aquesta casa, not la aquesta casa;
aquests dos problemes, not els aquests dos problemes.

Tots aquests documents són importants.

All these documents are important.

Necessito aquestes dues còpies signades.

I need these two signed copies.

The universal quantifier tots precedes the demonstrative, while the numeral follows it. Descriptive modifiers normally follow the noun: aquesta casa blanca, aquests documents importants. English adjective order does not transfer directly.

A possessive can follow the noun when it adds ownership:

Aquesta amiga meva treballa al museu.

This friend of mine works at the museum.

The neutral phrase is aquesta amiga meva, not aquesta la meva amiga. Both the demonstrative and possessive identify the referent, but they occupy different positions in this compatible pattern.

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A demonstrative replaces the article but can coexist with compatible quantifiers, numerals, and postnominal possessives: tots aquests llibres, aquests dos llibres, and aquest llibre meu.

Marked postnominal placement

The neutral order is demonstrative + noun: aquesta casa. A postnominal demonstrative normally requires an article—la casa aquesta—and is (informal/marked). It can sound contrastive, insistent, dismissive, or like a reminder of something already salient.

La casa aquella que vam visitar ja s'ha venut.

That house we visited has already been sold.

This order is not a free alternative for every neutral sentence. In an ordinary factual statement, prefer aquella casa que vam visitar. The article in the postnominal construction agrees with the noun as usual.

Standalone forms retain agreement

When the noun is obvious, the demonstrative can stand alone. Its ending still points to the understood noun.

Quina cadira vols? —Aquesta, la de fusta.

Which chair do you want? —This one, the wooden one.

Aquests són els informes definitius; aquells encara són esborranys.

These are the final reports; those are still drafts.

English adds one/ones in many such answers. Catalan normally does not: gender and number on aquesta/aquests are sufficient.

Catalan gender can contradict Spanish

Do not select the demonstrative from a Spanish cognate. Catalan avantatge is masculine, although Spanish ventaja is feminine; Catalan anàlisi is feminine, although Spanish análisis is masculine.

Aquest avantatge important queda ben explicat en aquesta anàlisi detallada.

This important advantage is clearly explained in this detailed analysis.

The whole phrase agrees: aquest avantatge important is masculine singular, and aquesta anàlisi detallada feminine singular.

Central and regional distance systems

The full traditional set contains aquest (near the speaker), aqueix (near the addressee or at an intermediate distance), and aquell (distant). Ordinary (regional: Central) speech generally collapses the first two values into aquest and contrasts it with aquell. Aqueix remains available but is uncommon and can sound (formal/literary) in much Central usage.

(regional: Valencian) A productive three-way system is common: este/esta/estos/estes near the speaker, eixe/eixa/eixos/eixes near the addressee, and aquell/aquella/aquells/aquelles farther away. The variants aquest/aqueix also belong to formal resources. These are legitimate Valencian forms, not Spanish errors. Use one regional paradigm coherently rather than combining forms inside one agreement set.

(regional: Balearic, Northwestern, Northern, and Alguerese) Demonstrative inventories and preferred forms have further local patterns. In a general Central-baseline lesson, use aquest/aquell unless a regional contrast is the subject.

Common Mistakes

Leaving the demonstrative invariant

❌ Aquest cases són molt antigues.

Incorrect — feminine plural «cases» requires «aquestes».

✅ Aquestes cases són molt antigues.

These houses are very old.

Stacking a demonstrative and an article

❌ M'agrada aquesta la plaça tranquil·la.

Incorrect — the demonstrative already occupies the determiner position.

✅ M'agrada aquesta plaça tranquil·la.

I like this quiet square.

Guessing gender from Spanish

❌ Aquesta avantatge queda clara en aquest anàlisi.

Incorrect — Catalan has masculine «avantatge» and feminine «anàlisi».

✅ Aquest avantatge queda clar en aquesta anàlisi.

This advantage is clear in this analysis.

Copying English adjective order

❌ Vull aquesta vermella jaqueta impermeable.

Unnatural neutral order — ordinary descriptive adjectives follow the noun.

✅ Vull aquesta jaqueta vermella impermeable.

I want this red waterproof jacket.

Mixing regional paradigms as random variants

❌ Estes aquestes carpetes són noves.

Incorrect — two demonstratives are stacked and the Valencian and general paradigms are mixed.

✅ Aquestes carpetes són noves.

These folders are new.

Key Takeaways

Aquest, aquesta, aquests, and aquestes agree with the noun in gender and number.
Central Catalan normally contrasts proximal aquest with distal aquell.
Demonstratives can point physically, temporally, or inside discourse.
A demonstrative replaces the definite article; compatible numerals and possessives take their own positions.
Valencian three-way este/eixe/aquell is a legitimate regional system, not a set of interchangeable extras for a Central-baseline phrase.

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