Learn Spanish (Latin America): Este dibujo es bonito.

Este is the masculine singular word for "this" when it comes right before a noun. Because dibujo (drawing) is masculine, we say este dibujo. You only use esto when you are talking about an unknown object or a general idea without naming it, like asking "What is this?" (¿Qué es esto?).

Why does bonito end in -o?

Adjectives in Spanish must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because dibujo is a masculine noun, the adjective bonito (pretty) stays in its masculine form ending in -o. If you were describing a feminine noun like casa (house), you would say Esta casa es bonita.

Why do we use es instead of está to mean "is"?

Es comes from the verb ser, which is used to talk about the permanent qualities or basic characteristics of a thing. Since being "pretty" is a general physical description of the drawing itself, we use es.

If I wanted to say "These drawings are pretty," how would the sentence change?