Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

"That" and "Those" Over There

In Spanish, when you want to point out something that is far away from both you and the person you are talking to, you use a specific set of words: aquel, aquella, aquellos, and aquellas. You can think of them as meaning "that over there" or "those over there."

Like all adjectives, these demonstratives must match the noun they describe in gender and number:

  • Use aquel and aquellos for masculine nouns.
  • Use aquella and aquellas for feminine nouns.
GenderSingular ("that")Plural ("those")
Masculineaquelaquellos
Feminineaquellaaquellas
That landscape is very pretty.
Aquel paisaje es muy bonito.
That cloud looks like a mountain.
Aquella nube parece una montaña.
Those birds are far away.
Aquellos pájaros están lejos.

Using Demonstratives as Pronouns

Just like other demonstratives, you can use these words all by themselves to mean "that one" or "those ones" in the distance. This helps you avoid repeating a noun that is already obvious from the context.

I like this landscape, but I prefer that one.
Me gusta este paisaje, pero prefiero aquel.