English has a two-way demonstrative system: this (near) and that (far). Brazilian Portuguese has a three-way system — este, esse, aquele — organized not just by distance but by which person the thing is close to. On top of that, these determiners agree in gender and number, and they fuse with prepositions into contracted forms like neste, naquele, and àquele. Then comes the twist that matters most in practice: in everyday spoken Brazilian, the first two collapse into one. This page covers the demonstrative as a determiner — sitting in front of a noun (este livro, "this book"). For their standalone pronoun use, see the demonstrative pronouns page.
The three-way system
The system maps to the three grammatical persons:
| Form | Meaning | Position |
|---|---|---|
| este | this | near me (the speaker) |
| esse | that | near you (the listener) |
| aquele | that (over there) | far from both of us |
Este celular aqui na minha mão é novo.
This phone here in my hand is new. (near me → este)
Esse casaco que você está usando é bonito.
That coat you're wearing is nice. (near you → esse)
Aquele prédio lá no fim da rua é uma escola.
That building down at the end of the street is a school. (far from both → aquele)
The logic is spatial-personal: este belongs to my space, esse to your space, aquele to neither. English squeezes all of this into this vs that, so the este/esse distinction has no direct English equivalent — both often translate as "that."
Agreement: gender and number
As determiners, demonstratives agree with the noun they modify. Each of the three has four forms:
| masc. sing. | fem. sing. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| this (near me) | este | esta | estes | estas |
| that (near you) | esse | essa | esses | essas |
| that (yonder) | aquele | aquela | aqueles | aquelas |
Estas fotos são da viagem; essas aí são antigas.
These photos are from the trip; those (by you) are old.
Aquelas montanhas ficam na divisa do estado.
Those mountains (over there) are on the state border.
The neuter forms: isto, isso, aquilo (pronoun only)
Alongside the four-way agreeing forms, each demonstrative has a neuter form — isto, isso, aquilo — used to point at something unnamed, abstract, or a whole situation. These are pronouns only: they never sit in front of a noun, so they are not determiners.
O que é isto aqui?
What is this (thing) here?
Isso não faz sentido nenhum.
That doesn't make any sense at all. (referring to a whole idea)
Aquilo que ele disse me deixou pensando.
That (thing) he said left me thinking.
Because they don't take a noun, you cannot say isto livro. If a noun follows, you must use the agreeing form: este livro. The full pronoun behavior lives on the demonstrative pronouns page.
Contractions: the part learners forget
Demonstratives fuse with the prepositions de, em, and a — and unlike the optional article-with-possessive, these contractions are obligatory. You cannot leave them uncontracted.
| de | em | a |
|---|---|---|---|
| este | deste | neste | — |
| esse | desse | nesse | — |
| aquele | daquele | naquele | àquele |
| isto / isso / aquilo | disto / disso / daquilo | nisto / nisso / naquilo | — / — / àquilo |
Two things to notice. First, de and em contract with all three demonstratives (deste, nesse, naquele). Second, the preposition a only contracts with the aquele series, and it takes a grave accent — àquele, àquela, àquilo — the same crase logic that gives you à from a + a.
Neste momento, não posso falar.
At this moment, I can't talk. (em + este = neste)
Gostei muito desse restaurante que você indicou.
I really liked that restaurant you recommended. (de + esse = desse)
Vou voltar àquele lugar no fim de semana.
I'm going back to that place over the weekend. (a + aquele = àquele, with grave accent)
Não entendi nada disso.
I didn't understand any of that. (de + isso = disso)
The spoken-BR collapse: este → esse
Here is the single most important thing to know about Brazilian usage. In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the este series largely disappears. Most Brazilians use esse for both "this (near me)" and "that (near you)," and reach for an adverb — aqui (here) — to mark proximity when they need to.
So where the grammar book says este livro (this book, in my hand), a Brazilian will typically say esse livro aqui.
Esse aqui é o meu favorito.
This one (right here) is my favorite. (spoken BR: 'esse' + 'aqui' instead of 'este')
Me passa esse copo aí, por favor.
Pass me that cup there, please. (esse for near-you, reinforced by 'aí')
Este relatório deve ser entregue até sexta-feira.
This report must be submitted by Friday. (written/formal — 'este' survives in writing)
The pattern: in writing and formal speech, the full three-way este/esse/aquele distinction is alive and expected. In casual conversation, it flattens to esse vs aquele, with location adverbs (aqui, aí, lá) doing the fine-tuning. Aquele (yonder) survives in both registers because it carries real distance meaning that esse can't.
Time reference: esse and aquele
Demonstratives also point in time, and the same near/far logic applies. Esse refers to a time close to now (current or recently mentioned); aquele refers to a remote, often nostalgically distant time.
Esse mês está corrido demais.
This month is way too hectic. (current month → esse)
Lembra daquele dia na praia? Foi inesquecível.
Remember that day at the beach? It was unforgettable. (distant past → aquele)
Notice that for "this month/this week/this year" in casual BR, esse is the norm (esse mês, essa semana, esse ano) — another place where este yields to esse in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes
❌ Eu gosto de esse livro.
Incorrect — 'de' + 'esse' must contract.
✅ Eu gosto desse livro.
I like that book.
❌ Vou aquele lugar amanhã.
Incorrect — the verb 'ir' takes 'a', and 'a' + 'aquele' = 'àquele'.
✅ Vou àquele lugar amanhã.
I'm going to that place tomorrow.
❌ O que é esse? (pointing at an unnamed object)
Awkward — for an unnamed/abstract thing, use the neuter pronoun.
✅ O que é isso?
What's that?
❌ Esta caneta (said in casual speech, sounding stiff)
Over-formal in conversation — spoken BR prefers 'essa caneta aqui'.
✅ Essa caneta aqui.
This pen (right here).
❌ Estes problemas são igual aqueles.
Agreement error — the comparison needs the contraction 'àqueles' (a + aqueles after 'igual a').
✅ Estes problemas são iguais àqueles.
These problems are the same as those.
Key Takeaways
- Three-way system: este (near me), esse (near you), aquele (far from both).
- Each agrees four ways (este/esta/estes/estas, etc.).
- Neuter isto/isso/aquilo are pronouns only — never before a noun.
- Contractions with de/em are mandatory (deste, nesse, naquele); only the aquele series contracts with a, taking the grave accent (àquele).
- Spoken BR collapses este → esse and adds aqui/aí for proximity; writing keeps the full distinction.
- Time: esse for now-ish, aquele for the distant past.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Demonstrative Pronouns: Este, Esse, AqueleA2 — The three-way Portuguese demonstrative system — este, esse, and aquele — and how it maps space, discourse, and time.
- Determiners: OverviewA1 — A map of Brazilian Portuguese determiners — articles, demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers — and the two facts that govern them all: they agree with the noun and they fuse with prepositions.
- Contractions with 'A' (The Crase)A2 — The 'a' contractions (ao, aos) and the crase (à) in Brazilian Portuguese — what the accent really means, the reliable substitution test, when crase is required, and the most common crase errors.
- Definite Articles: O, A, Os, AsA1 — The Brazilian definite article — its four agreeing forms, its obligatory contractions with prepositions, and the many places it appears where English drops 'the' entirely.