No quiero ese; prefiero el segundo.

I don't want that one; I prefer the second one.

Breakdown of No quiero ese; prefiero el segundo.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• preferir: to prefer
• ;: semicolon

Questions & Answers about No quiero ese; prefiero el segundo.

Why is it ese and not eso?

Ese means that one and refers to a specific masculine noun that is understood from context.

Eso is neuter and is used for that, that thing, or that idea, usually when no specific noun is being named.

So in No quiero ese, the speaker is really saying something like:

• No quiero ese libro. = I don’t want that book.
• No quiero ese. = I don’t want that one.

Because the hidden noun is masculine singular, ese is the correct form.

What exactly does ese mean here?

Here, ese is a demonstrative pronoun meaning that one.

The noun is omitted because both speakers already know what they are talking about. Spanish does this very often.

For example:

• No quiero ese coche. = I don’t want that car.
• No quiero ese. = I don’t want that one.

So ese replaces the noun instead of describing it.

Why is there no noun after ese or el segundo?