Question 1

Why use aquel instead of ese since both mean "that"?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, ese is used for things that are close to the person you are talking to. Aquel is used for things that are far away from both you and the listener. You would use aquel to point at a landscape way off in the distance.

Question 2

Is there a trick to remembering if paisaje is masculine or feminine?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Nouns ending in -aje are almost always masculine in Spanish. Other common examples are el viaje (the trip) and el mensaje (the message). Because paisaje is masculine, it uses aquel instead of aquella, and bonito instead of bonita.

Question 3

Could I say aquel paisaje está muy bonito?

Accepted Answer

You will usually hear es muy bonito because being beautiful is seen as a permanent characteristic of the landscape, so we use the verb ser. If you used estar (está muy bonito), you would be emphasizing that it looks unusually pretty right at this specific moment, perhaps because of a spectacular sunset.

Question 4

Why is the word aquel and not aquello?

Accepted Answer

Aquel is the masculine singular form that goes directly before a masculine noun like paisaje. Aquello is a special neuter form. You only use aquello when talking about an abstract idea, a general situation, or something you do not know the name of, and it never goes right next to a noun.

Aquel paisaje es muy bonito.

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