Beyond the gendered demonstratives este/esta/esse/essa/aquele/aquela, Portuguese has a parallel set of three invariable neuter forms: isto, isso, and aquilo. They carry the same three-way proximity distinction (near me, near you, far from both), but they are used when the referent is not a specific gendered noun — when you're pointing to an unidentified object, an abstract idea, a situation, a statement someone just made, or anything that doesn't map cleanly onto a masculine or feminine noun. Unlike their gendered counterparts, they never change form and they never modify a noun — they always stand alone as pronouns.
1. The three forms
| Form | Proximity | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| isto | near me | this (abstract/unidentified) |
| isso | near you / recently mentioned | that (what you said/have) |
| aquilo | far from both | that (over there, distant) |
All three are invariable — there is no plural, no feminine, no masculine. They always take masculine-singular agreement when they control a verb or adjective.
Isto é muito bom.
This is very good.
Isso é verdade?
Is that true?
Aquilo foi incrível.
That was incredible.
Isto não me parece certo.
This doesn't seem right to me.
Notice that the adjective or predicate is always masculine singular: bom, verdade, certo, incrível. Even if the referent turns out to be a feminine plural noun, while you're still using the neuter pronoun, the agreement stays masculine singular.
2. When to use each one
2.1 Isto — this, near me or just happening
Use isto when:
- You're holding, touching, or standing next to an unidentified object.
- You're referring to the current situation, the present moment's experience.
- You're introducing something you're about to say or show.
O que é isto?
What is this?
Nunca vi nada como isto.
I've never seen anything like this.
Isto está a tornar-se insuportável.
This is becoming unbearable.
Ouve isto: o Pedro vai casar-se!
Listen to this: Pedro's getting married!
2.2 Isso — that, from your side or from what you said
Use isso when:
- The referent is with the person you're speaking to — in their hand, on their table, on their screen.
- You're reacting to something the other person just said.
- You're referring to what the listener has proposed or implied.
O que é isso que tens na mão?
What's that (you have) in your hand?
Isso é uma boa ideia.
That's a good idea. (responding to what the listener said)
Não faças isso!
Don't do that!
Isso não é problema meu.
That's not my problem.
Gostava de saber mais sobre isso.
I'd like to know more about that (what you just mentioned).
Isso is by far the most common of the three in conversation because it's constantly picking up the thread of what the other person has said — it's the verbal equivalent of saying yeah, about what you just said...
2.3 Aquilo — that (over there, distant)
Use aquilo when:
- The referent is physically distant from both of you.
- You're recalling something from the distant past.
- You're referring to something abstract and remote, often with a hint of judgment or mystery.
O que é aquilo ali ao fundo?
What's that (over there) at the end?
Aquilo aconteceu há muitos anos.
That happened many years ago.
Ainda te lembras daquilo?
Do you still remember that? (distant event)
Aquilo foi a pior noite da minha vida.
That was the worst night of my life.
Aquilo não tem explicação.
That (thing, situation) has no explanation.
Aquilo often carries an emotional weight — it's the that of nostalgia, mystery, outrage, or profound memory. Pay attention to how Portuguese speakers use it; it's rarely neutral.
3. Why neuter forms exist at all
Portuguese nouns are strictly gendered — every noun is either masculine or feminine. So when you need to refer to something without committing to a gender (because you don't know what it is, or because it's not a noun at all), you need a gender-neutral option. That's what isto/isso/aquilo are for.
Compare:
Este é o meu livro favorito.
This is my favourite book. (este points to a specific masculine noun — livro)
Isto é o meu livro favorito.
This (the item I'm holding up, which you can now see) is my favourite book. (isto introduces something unspecified, then reveals what it is)
The first sentence assumes the listener already knows you're talking about books. The second reveals the identity of the thing in the act of naming it. This is why isto is so natural in o que é isto? (what is this?) — you don't know what it is, hence no gender.
Once you have identified the thing, you switch to the gendered demonstrative:
— O que é isto? — Isto é um pastel de nata.
— What is this? — This is a custard tart.
— Então, este pastel é teu? — Sim, este é meu.
— So, this tart is yours? — Yes, this (one) is mine.
Notice the switch: isto while asking/identifying, then este pastel / este once the gender is established (pastel is masculine).
4. Referring to ideas, situations, statements
This is the most frequent use case for the neuter forms: they refer to what was just said, proposed, done, or is happening, without picking out a specific noun.
Ela disse que ia chegar às oito, mas isso não aconteceu.
She said she'd arrive at eight, but that didn't happen. (isso refers to the whole situation of arriving on time)
Eu não sabia disto!
I didn't know this! (where 'this' is a fact or situation, not a thing)
Aquilo que tu disseste ontem ainda me está a dar que pensar.
What you said yesterday is still making me think. (aquilo que = that which, literary framing)
Não percebo nada disto.
I don't understand any of this. (this entire situation/topic)
Isso não faz sentido.
That doesn't make sense. (referring to a claim just made)
These meanings could never be rendered with este/esse/aquele because there's no gendered noun to agree with. Using a neuter form is the only option.
5. Contractions — same logic as gendered forms
The neuter forms contract with de and em the same way the gendered forms do, and a contracts only with aquilo.
| de (of, from) | em (in, on) | a (to, at) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| isto | disto | nisto | a isto (no contraction) |
| isso | disso | nisso | a isso (no contraction) |
| aquilo | daquilo | naquilo | àquilo (grave accent) |
Não quero saber disto.
I don't want to know about this.
Pensa bem nisso antes de decidir.
Think carefully about that before deciding.
Nunca prestei atenção àquilo.
I never paid attention to that.
Naquilo que ele disse, havia alguma verdade.
In what he said, there was some truth.
Daquilo que vi, posso concluir...
From what I saw, I can conclude...
6. Idiomatic expressions — the neuter forms are everywhere
A surprisingly large number of fixed phrases and reactions in Portuguese are built around isto / isso / aquilo. Learning these will give your speech an immediate natural feel.
6.1 Isso mesmo — exactly that
— Então tu queres que eu fique aqui? — Isso mesmo.
— So you want me to stay here? — That's right.
6.2 Isso é que é — that's really it
Isso é que é uma surpresa!
Now THAT is a surprise!
6.3 Não é bem isso — that's not quite it
— Disseste que ias comprar pão? — Não é bem isso.
— You said you were going to buy bread? — Not quite.
6.4 Isso não se faz — that's not done
Falar assim com a tua mãe? Isso não se faz!
Talking like that to your mother? That's not done!
6.5 Deixa lá isso — drop it, never mind
— Estou tão frustrado com o trabalho. — Deixa lá isso, vamos passear.
— I'm so frustrated with work. — Forget about that, let's go for a walk.
6.6 Ora aí está / É isso — there you have it / that's it
É isso mesmo que eu quero dizer.
That's exactly what I mean.
6.7 Nada disso — none of that, no way
— Queres que eu te pague o jantar? — Nada disso, eu convidei-te!
— Do you want me to pay for dinner? — No way, I invited you!
7. Subtle choice: isto vs isso in reported speech
When you're reacting to or quoting something someone just said, use isso — it picks up the listener's side of the conversation.
— Acho que vamos chegar atrasados. — Isso não é bom.
— I think we'll arrive late. — That's not good.
When you're presenting or bringing up something new, use isto:
Isto é o que eu quero dizer: temos de mudar a estratégia.
This is what I want to say: we have to change strategy.
When you're referring to something remembered, emotionally charged, or distant:
Aquilo que vivemos em Moçambique foi único.
What we lived through in Mozambique was unique.
This three-way distinction gives Portuguese remarkable precision for managing the flow of conversation and memory.
8. Isto, isso, aquilo with ser
A very common construction uses the neuter demonstrative followed by ser to identify or define something.
Isto é uma caneta.
This is a pen.
Isso é uma mentira.
That's a lie.
Aquilo era uma fábrica, agora é um museu.
That used to be a factory; now it's a museum.
Isto é muito sério.
This is very serious.
Notice that the verb is always singular (é, era) even though the thing identified may be plural:
Isto são os meus livros.
These are my books. (isto stays neuter singular; ser agrees with the plural predicate 'os meus livros')
Wait — but here são is plural! That's because when ser has a plural predicate noun, Portuguese tends to make the verb plural to agree with the predicate. This is a quirk: isto is singular, but são ("are") agrees with os livros (plural). The alternative isto é os meus livros is also attested but less common.
Isto são pastéis de Belém.
These are Pastéis de Belém. (plural predicate)
Isto é um pastel de Belém.
This is a Pastel de Belém. (singular predicate)
9. Contrast between neuter and gendered forms
Use the neuter when the referent is unidentified, abstract, situational, or not yet linked to a specific noun. Use the gendered form when you know which noun you're talking about.
| Context | Neuter | Gendered |
|---|---|---|
| Pointing at unknown object | O que é isto? | (not available — you don't know the gender) |
| Known masculine noun | — | Gosto deste livro. |
| Known feminine noun | — | Gosto desta ideia. |
| A situation or statement | Isso não me agrada. | (not available — situations have no gender) |
| Reacting to what someone said | Isso é verdade. | (not available) |
| A distant event | Aquilo foi há muito tempo. | Aquele dia foi há muito tempo. (if referring to 'that day' specifically) |
Isso que tens é um presente do Pedro?
Is that (unspecified thing) you have a present from Pedro? (before knowing what it is)
Esse livro que tens é um presente do Pedro?
Is that book you have a present from Pedro? (specifies it's a book)
10. No adjectival use — the neuter is pronoun-only
Unlike este / esse / aquele, which can modify a noun (este livro), the neuter forms cannot modify a noun. You cannot say isto livro or isso casa — these are ungrammatical. The neuter forms always stand alone.
❌ Gosto de isto livro.
Incorrect — cannot use 'isto' before a noun.
✅ Gosto deste livro.
I like this book. (use the gendered form before the noun)
✅ Gosto disto.
I like this. (neuter standalone, no noun following)
This is the most important syntactic distinction: neuter = pronoun only; gendered = pronoun or adjective.
Common mistakes
❌ Isto livro é muito bom.
Incorrect — 'isto' cannot modify a noun.
✅ Este livro é muito bom.
This book is very good.
✅ Isto é um livro muito bom.
This is a very good book.
❌ O que é este na mesa?
Incorrect when the thing is unidentified — 'este' assumes you know the masculine gender.
✅ O que é isto na mesa?
What is this on the table? (unidentified)
❌ Isso aquilo aconteceu há anos.
Incorrect — you can't stack two neuters. Pick one proximity.
✅ Aquilo aconteceu há anos.
That happened years ago.
❌ Não quero saber de isso.
Incorrect — must contract to 'disso'.
✅ Não quero saber disso.
I don't want to know about that.
❌ Vou a aquilo.
Incorrect — must contract to 'àquilo' with grave accent.
✅ Vou àquilo.
I'm going to that. (rare but grammatical)
Key takeaways
- Isto, isso, aquilo are the three invariable neuter demonstratives.
- They refer to unidentified objects, abstract ideas, situations, and statements — not to specific gendered nouns.
- They carry the same three-way proximity distinction: isto (near me), isso (near you / recently said), aquilo (far, distant).
- They always agree as masculine singular with adjectives and verbs.
- They are pronouns only — they never modify a noun. Use este/esse/aquele for adjectival use.
- They contract with de (disto, disso, daquilo) and em (nisto, nisso, naquilo); only aquilo contracts with a (àquilo, with grave accent).
- Many high-frequency idiomatic expressions use these forms: isso mesmo, nada disso, deixa lá isso.
Related Topics
- Demonstrative Pronouns (Este, Esse, Aquele)A2 — Portuguese has three degrees of demonstrative, not two — a pointer system based on proximity to speaker, listener, and everyone else
- Demonstrative Contractions (Deste, Nesse, Àquele)A2 — How prepositions de, em, and a fuse with demonstratives to form deste, neste, àquele — the mandatory contractions of Portuguese
- Portuguese Pronouns OverviewA1 — A map of all pronoun types in European Portuguese — personal, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative, relative, indefinite, and impersonal
- Relative Pronoun Que (The Most Common)A2 — The workhorse relative pronoun of Portuguese — used for people, things, and concepts, as subject or direct object of the relative clause
- Interrogative Quem (Who)A1 — Asking about people — quem as subject, object, and after prepositions