Ese estante parece resistente.

That shelf seems sturdy.

Breakdown of Ese estante parece resistente.

• ese: that
• parecer: to seem
• el estante: the shelf
• resistente: resistant

Questions & Answers about Ese estante parece resistente.

What does ese mean here, and why is it not este?

Ese means that and points to something near the listener or not especially close to the speaker.

So:

• este estante = this shelf
• ese estante = that shelf
• aquel estante = that shelf over there / that shelf farther away

In everyday speech, the difference between ese and aquel is sometimes not very strict, but this is the basic idea.

Why is it ese estante and not esa estante?

Because estante is masculine in this sentence, so the demonstrative must also be masculine:

• ese estante
• el estante

Demonstratives agree with the noun in gender and number:

• ese estante = that shelf
• esos estantes = those shelves

What does estante mean exactly?