Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Ese pueblo no es muy turístico.

este pueblo = this town (close to the speaker)
ese pueblo = that town (a bit further away, or not right here)
aquel pueblo = that town over there (far from both speaker and listener, or more distant in context)

In Ese pueblo no es muy turístico, ese suggests a town that is not right next to the speaker, or one that has already been mentioned in the conversation.

Why is it ese pueblo and not esa pueblo?

Because pueblo is a masculine noun. Demonstrative adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:

Masculine singular: ese pueblo
Feminine singular: esa ciudad
Masculine plural: esos pueblos
Feminine plural: esas ciudades

So you use ese (not esa) with pueblo.

What exactly does pueblo mean in Spain? Is it a town or a village?

In Spain:

pueblo usually means a small town or village (smaller than a ciudad).
It often has a rural, traditional, or homey feel. Many Spaniards say mi pueblo to refer to their family’s village or hometown, even if they currently live in a big city.

So Ese pueblo no es muy turístico is more like That village / small town isn’t very touristy, not That city isn’t very touristy.

Can pueblo also mean people?

Yes. Pueblo has another meaning: the people (as a collective group):

El pueblo español = the Spanish people
La voz del pueblo = the voice of the people

But in Ese pueblo no es muy turístico, it clearly means town / village, because it’s preceded by ese and used like a place.

Why is no placed before es and not after, like in English?

In Spanish, to negate a simple verb, you normally put no directly before the conjugated verb:

no es = is not
no tiene = does not have
no quiero = I do not want

The structure es no muy turístico is incorrect in Spanish. The correct order is:

Ese pueblo (subject) + no (negation) + es (verb) + muy turístico (complement).

What does turístico mean exactly? Is it neutral or negative?

Turístico means touristic / tourist-related / touristy. It can refer to:

Things aimed at tourists:
- zona turística = tourist area
- guía turística = guidebook / tourist guide
The character of a place:
- un lugar muy turístico = a very touristy place

In no es muy turístico, it usually has a slightly positive or neutral feeling: the place is calmer, more authentic, not full of tourists or tourist services. But tone and context can make turístico sound negative (too commercial, overcrowded).

Why is it turístico and not turista?

Turista is mainly a noun:

un turista = a tourist (male)
una turista = a tourist (female)

Turístico / turística is an adjective meaning related to tourism / touristy:

oficina de turismo = tourist office
oficina turística = tourist / tourism office
ruta turística = tourist route
un pueblo turístico = a touristy town

So you describe the town with the adjective turístico, not with the noun turista.

Why does turístico end in -o here? Could it be turística?

Adjectives in Spanish agree with the noun in gender and number:

pueblo is masculine singular → turístico (masculine singular)
ciudad is feminine singular → turística

Examples:

Ese pueblo es turístico.
Esa ciudad es turística.
Esos pueblos son turísticos.
Esas ciudades son turísticas.

Why is the adjective after the noun? Could we say Ese turístico pueblo?

The default order in Spanish is noun + adjective:

pueblo turístico = touristy town
casa grande = big house

Adjective + noun (e.g. turístico pueblo) is either wrong or sounds very poetic/marked; with turístico, you would simply not say turístico pueblo in normal speech. So:

Correct: Ese pueblo no es muy turístico.
Incorrect / not natural: Ese turístico pueblo no es muy…

What is the nuance difference between no es muy turístico, no es turístico, es poco turístico, and no es nada turístico?

They all deny that the town is touristy, but with different strength:

no es muy turístico
- Literally: is not very touristy
- Soft, implies it has some tourism, but not a lot.
no es turístico
- Literally: is not touristy
- Stronger, more categorical: you expect almost no tourism.
es poco turístico
- Literally: is little touristy
- Emphasizes that it has very little tourism, but maybe a bit.
no es nada turístico
- Literally: is not at all touristy
- Very strong: practically zero tourism.

The original sentence is the gentlest of these options.

Could we say no es tan turístico instead of no es muy turístico?

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly:

no es muy turístico = it isn’t very touristy (evaluated in general)
no es tan turístico = it isn’t as touristy (implicitly as something else: another town, what you expected, etc.)

Tan is comparative:

Ese pueblo no es tan turístico como Marbella.
= That town isn’t as touristy as Marbella.

Does ese ever take an accent, like ése?

Modern standard Spanish (RAE rules) does not use an accent on ese anymore, even when it is a pronoun:

Ese pueblo no es muy turístico. (adjective)
Ese no es muy turístico. (pronoun, meaning that one is not very touristy)

Older texts may show ése, ése, aquél, etc., with accents, but this is now considered outdated spelling.

How is turístico pronounced? Where is the stress?

Turístico is pronounced approximately: too-REEST-ee-koh.

The written accent on í shows the stress: tu-RÍS-ti-co
Syllables: tu-rís-ti-co
In IPA: [tuˈɾistiko]

The whole sentence:
Ese pueblo no es muy turístico → [ˈese ˈpweβlo no es ˈmuj tuˈɾistiko]

How could I turn this into a question, like Is that town very touristy? or a tag question?

Two common options:

Yes–no question with intonation:
- ¿Ese pueblo es muy turístico? = Is that town very touristy?
- ¿Ese pueblo no es muy turístico? (with rising intonation) = Isn’t that town very touristy?
Tag question:
- Ese pueblo no es muy turístico, ¿no? = That town isn’t very touristy, right?
- Ese pueblo no es muy turístico, ¿verdad? = That town isn’t very touristy, is it / right?