English splits the world of "pointing words" in two: this/these for what's near, that/those for what's far. Portuguese splits it in three: este (near me), esse (near you), and aquele (far from us both). Each of those also inflects for gender and number, so what was a four-word English system (this, these, that, those) becomes a twelve-word Portuguese grid. This page lays out the whole grid and the logic that drives it.
The three-way system
The core idea is distance — but distance measured from two reference points, the speaker and the listener, not just one.
- este / esta / estes / estas — near the speaker ("this," here by me)
- esse / essa / esses / essas — near the listener ("that," there by you)
- aquele / aquela / aqueles / aquelas — far from both ("that over there," yonder)
Think of three concentric zones radiating outward: my space, your space, and the space beyond both of us. English collapses your-space and beyond-space into a single "that"; Portuguese keeps them apart.
Este celular é meu; esse aí é seu.
This phone (by me) is mine; that one (by you) is yours.
Aquele prédio lá no fim da rua é a prefeitura.
That building over there at the end of the street is the city hall.
Prefiro esta camisa, não essa que você está segurando.
I prefer this shirt (here), not that one you're holding.
Agreement in gender and number
Unlike English "this/that," Portuguese demonstratives must agree with the noun they point to in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). This is the same agreement machinery you already use for articles and adjectives — see gender agreement.
| Distance | Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. plur. | Fem. plur. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| near speaker ("this") | este | esta | estes | estas |
| near listener ("that") | esse | essa | esses | essas |
| far from both ("that yonder") | aquele | aquela | aqueles | aquelas |
The vowel tells you the gender: -e family (este, esse, aquele) is masculine, -a family (esta, essa, aquela) is feminine. Note the spelling trap for English eyes: the masculine is est-e with an e, the feminine est-a with an a — and there is no accent on any of these forms.
Essas fotos ficaram lindas, mas essa aqui não presta.
Those photos came out beautiful, but this one here is no good.
Aquelas montanhas são as mais altas do país.
Those mountains (in the distance) are the highest in the country.
Estes documentos precisam de assinatura; aqueles já estão prontos.
These documents need a signature; those (over there) are already done.
Pronoun vs. determiner
A demonstrative can stand alone, replacing a noun (a true pronoun), or sit in front of a noun, modifying it (a determiner). The forms are identical; only the job changes.
Qual bolo você quer? — Quero esse.
Which cake do you want? — I want that one.
Esse bolo de chocolate está incrível.
That chocolate cake is amazing.
In the first sentence esse stands alone and means "that one." In the second it leans on bolo. For the determiner use specifically — demonstratives placed before nouns — see demonstrative determiners. English handles this split with two different words ("that" the determiner vs. "that one" the pronoun); Portuguese uses the same word for both, so no extra "one" is needed.
Temporal use: pointing at time
The same three-way distance maps onto time, which is where the system gets genuinely useful and where English has no parallel.
- este = the current time period (this week, this year, now)
- esse = a recently mentioned or near-past period ("that time we talked about")
- aquele = a distant, often nostalgic past ("those days")
Esta semana está corrida demais; vamos deixar pra próxima.
This week is way too hectic; let's leave it for next week.
Naquele verão de 2009, a gente morava na praia.
That summer of 2009, we lived at the beach.
Lembra daquele dia em que choveu o dia inteiro?
Remember that day when it rained all day long?
Notice how aquele is the default for evoking a specific, finished moment in the past — "aquele dia," "aquela época," "aqueles tempos." Reaching for esse there would feel like you're pointing at something the listener just brought up, not something distant and shared. (Two of the examples above use the contracted forms naquele and daquele — em + aquele and de + aquele — which are obligatory; see demonstrative contractions.)
The big caveat: spoken Brazilian collapses the system
Everything above is the full, prescriptive three-way system — and it is exactly what you'll see in formal writing. But here is the honest reality of spoken Brazilian Portuguese: most Brazilians do not distinguish este from esse in speech. They say esse for both "this (near me)" and "that (near you)," and let the adverbs aqui / aí do the disambiguating. "Esse aqui" (this one here) is completely normal, everyday Brazilian speech, even though a prescriptive grammarian would want "este aqui."
This collapse is so central to how the language actually works that it gets its own page — read este vs esse in BR next. For now, just know: learn the full grid so you can read and write correctly, but don't be surprised when native speech ignores the este/esse line entirely.
Me passa esse aqui, por favor.
Pass me this one here, please. (everyday BR speech; prescriptively 'este aqui')
Common Mistakes
❌ Eu quero este livros.
Incorrect — singular demonstrative with a plural noun.
✅ Eu quero estes livros.
I want these books. (plural demonstrative agrees with the plural noun)
❌ Essa carro é novo.
Incorrect — feminine demonstrative with a masculine noun (carro).
✅ Esse carro é novo.
That car is new. (masculine demonstrative for a masculine noun)
❌ Eu quero esse one.
Incorrect — adding 'one' the way English does ('that one').
✅ Eu quero esse.
I want that one. (the demonstrative alone already means 'that one')
❌ Naquele dia... esse foi o melhor dia da minha vida.
Incorrect — switching to 'esse' for a distant past day you're narrating.
✅ Naquele dia... aquele foi o melhor dia da minha vida.
That day... that was the best day of my life. (distant past stays 'aquele')
❌ Êste é o meu carro.
Incorrect — there is no circumflex on 'este' in modern Brazilian orthography.
✅ Este é o meu carro.
This is my car. (no accent on este/esse/aquele)
Key Takeaways
- Portuguese has a three-way system: este (by me), esse (by you), aquele (far from both) — English only has two.
- Every demonstrative agrees in gender and number with its noun; the -e forms are masculine, the -a forms feminine.
- The same forms serve as both pronouns (standing alone) and determiners (before a noun) — no extra "one" needed.
- The three distances also map onto time: este (now), esse (recent/just-said), aquele (distant past).
- In spoken Brazilian, the este/esse distinction largely collapses into esse — but you still need the full system for reading and writing.
Now practice Portuguese
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Este vs Esse in BR: Spoken vs WrittenA2 — Why spoken Brazilian Portuguese collapses este into esse, and when you still need the este/esse distinction.
- Neuter Demonstratives: Isto, Isso, AquiloA2 — The invariable neuter demonstratives isto, isso, and aquilo — for unnamed things and whole ideas.
- Demonstrative Contractions: Nesse, Naquele, Disso, DaquiloA2 — The obligatory contractions of em, de, and a with demonstratives — nesse, naquele, disso, daquilo, àquele.
- Demonstrative DeterminersA2 — Brazilian Portuguese's three-way demonstrative system — este/esse/aquele by distance — how they agree, how they contract (neste, naquele, àquele), and why spoken BR collapses 'este' into 'esse'.
- Gender AgreementA1 — How Portuguese adjectives change form to match the masculine or feminine gender of the noun they describe — and which ones don't change at all.