Breakdown of Él es así.
así
like this / like that
Questions & Answers about Él es así.
Why do we use es instead of está here?
Does así always mean 'like that'?
Así generally means 'like this,' 'like that,' or 'this way.' Just as we say someone is 'like that' in English to describe their nature, Spanish uses así in the exact same way.
Why does Él have an accent mark on the E?
The accent mark is used to tell the difference between él (he) and el (the). They sound exactly the same when spoken, but the written accent lets you know this is the person 'he' and not the word 'the' (like in el gato).
Could I just say Es así without the Él?
Yes! Because the verb es already contains the meaning of 'he is,' 'she is,' or 'it is,' you can drop the Él. You only need to keep Él if you want to emphasize that you mean him specifically, or if the context isn't clear. Note that just saying Es así is also how you would say 'It is like that' or 'That is how it is.'
Learn Él es así and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free