Demonstrative Pronouns | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Once you know the demonstrative adjectives, the pronouns are essentially free. A Spanish demonstrative pronoun is just the same word used without a noun — it still carries the gender and number of whatever noun it replaces.

These pronouns let you point at things without naming them: I want this one, not that one; Those over there are mine. They're an everyday workhorse in shopping, choosing, and comparing.

Same Forms, No Noun

Meaning	Masc. sing.	Fem. sing.	Masc. pl.	Fem. pl.
this one / these	este	esta	estos	estas
that one / those	ese	esa	esos	esas
that one over there / those	aquel	aquella	aquellos	aquellas

The Accent Rule — Old and New

For decades, Spanish grammar books taught that demonstrative pronouns should carry an accent (éste, ése, aquél) to distinguish them from the adjectives. In 2010, the Real Academia Española officially declared that accent optional, and then unnecessary — the context always makes clear whether the word is an adjective or a pronoun.

Today, most modern writing in Latin America drops the accent. You may still see it in older books or from older writers, but you don't need to use it.

Quiero este, no ese.

I want this one, not that one.

Me gustan más aquellos que están al fondo.

I prefer those (over there) in the back.

In Action

¿Cuál prefieres, la camiseta roja o la azul? — Esta.

Which do you prefer, the red shirt or the blue one? — This one.

Esta is feminine singular because it replaces camiseta.

Estos zapatos no, esos.

Not these shoes, those.

De todos los cuadros, esos son mis favoritos.

Of all the paintings, those are my favorites.

Aquellas eran otras épocas.

Those were different times.

The Difference from Neuter Forms

You might also have heard esto, eso, and aquello — these are the neuter demonstratives. They look similar but mean something different: they refer to unknown things, ideas, or whole situations, not to a specific noun.

Normal pronoun (replaces a noun)	Neuter (refers to an idea)
Este es el libro que quiero.	Esto es lo que quiero.
Ese fue el problema.	Eso fue un problema.
Aquel era mi coche.	Aquello fue hace mucho tiempo.

If the thing being pointed at has a clear gender — because it's a concrete noun — you use este, ese, aquel (or their feminine and plural forms). If it's a vague idea, situation, or unknown object, use the neuter. See Neuter Demonstratives for the full picture.

This One vs. That One

Demonstrative pronouns come up constantly in shopping, choosing, and comparing.

¿Qué zapatos te pruebas? — Esos, por favor.

Which shoes are you trying on? — Those, please.

Entre todas las casas del pueblo, esta es la más antigua.

Of all the houses in town, this one is the oldest.

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When both options have the same gender, Spanish often uses este...aquel to mean the latter...the former. Pedro y Juan llegaron juntos; este habló primero, aquel se quedó callado. This is a very literary use but worth recognizing.

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If you're tempted to write éste, ése, aquél with an accent, you're not wrong — but modern Latin American editing usually drops them. Read what feels right, and be consistent.

A Quick Distance Reference

Demonstratives encode three distances from the speaker — este (here), ese (there), aquel (over there). The contrast is much sharper in Spanish than the English this/that split.

Distance	Form	Equivalent feel
Close to me	este, esta, estos, estas	this one (in my hand)
Close to you	ese, esa, esos, esas	that one (next to you)
Far from both	aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas	that one (way over there)

More Everyday Examples

Estos son los libros que necesito.

These are the books I need.

Esa fue la mejor decisión.

That was the best decision.

Aquel de allá es mi hermano.

That one over there is my brother.

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The forms este, ese, aquel always agree in gender and number with whatever noun they're standing in for, even if that noun was mentioned five sentences ago. Spanish keeps track better than English does.

Demonstrative pronouns are one of the easiest parts of Spanish grammar: if you can say the adjective, you can say the pronoun. Just drop the noun. For the noun-modifying counterparts, see demonstrative adjectives, and for the special "idea" pronouns esto, eso, aquello, see neuter demonstratives.