7.2 Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns
7.2 Gramática: Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns
A. Demonstratives Adjectives (Adjetivos Demostrativos)
- In Spanish, as in English, demonstrative adjectives are words used to ¨point out¨ how close something is to the speaker.
- Like other adjectives in Spanish, they agree in gender (feminine/masculine) and number (plural/singular) with the nouns they modify.
| Demonstrative Adjectives | |||
| Singular | Plural | ||
| Masculine (Singular) | Feminine (Singular) | Masculine (Plural) | Feminine (Plural) |
| este (this) | esta (this) | estos (these) | estas (these) |
| ese (that) | esa (that) | esos (those) | esas (those) |
| aquel (that – over there) | aquella (that – over there) | aquellos (those – over there) | aquellas (those – over there) |
Ejemplos:
The demonstrative adjectives este, esta, estos, and estas are used to point out things that are close to the speaker and the listener.
The demonstrative adjectives ese, esa, esos, and esas are used to point out things that are NOT close in space and time to the speaker, but they may be close to the listener.
The demonstrative adjectives aquel, aquella, aquellos, and aquellas are used to point out things that are far away from the speaker and the listener.
B. Demonstratives Pronouns (Pronombres Demostrativos)
- Demonstrative pronouns are identical to demonstrative adjectives, except that they traditionally have an accent (*)
- Like demonstrative adjectives, these pronouns agree in gender (feminine/masculine) and number (plural/singular) with the corresponding noun.
| Demonstrative Pronouns | |||
| Singular | Plural | ||
| Masculine (Singular) | Feminine (Singular) | Masculine (Plural) | Feminine (Plural) |
| éste (this one) | ésta (this one) | éstos (these ones) | éstas (these ones) |
| ése (that one) | ésa (that one) | ésos (those ones) | ésas (those ones) |
| aquél (that one- over there) | aquélla (that one- over there) | aquéllos (those ones- over there) | aquéllas (those ones-over there) |
*Recently, the Real Academia accepted using demonstrative pronouns without written accents.
There are three (3) neuter demonstrative pronouns: esto, eso, and aquello. These forms refer to unidentified or unspecified things, situations, ideas, and concepts. They do not change gender or number and never carry an accent mark.
| “¿Qué es esto?” (What is this?) | “Eso es muy caro.” (That is very expensive.) | “Aquello es bonito.“ (That over there is pretty.) |
Actividad # 1
Cambiar. Change the singular sentences to plural and vice versa.
Ejemplo:
Estos vestidos son muy caros. (plural) Este vestido es muy caro. (singular)
1. Aquel cinturón es de cuero: ____________________________.
2. Estas camisetas son blancas: __________________________.
3. Esas faldas son muy largas: ___________________________.
4. Estos pantalones son grises: __________________________.
5. Aquellos suéteres son baratos: ________________________.
6. Esta blusa es muy bonita: ____________________________.
Actividad # 2
Los pronombres demostrativos. Fill in the blanks and answer the questions to build your foundation with the demonstrative adjectives pronouns.
1. ¿Prefieres estos zapatos o _________________? (those over there)
2. ¿Cuál es tu gorra favorita? _______________, la uso todos los días. (this one)
3. ¿Qué zapatos te gustan más? ¿__________________? Voy a comprarlos. (these ones)
4. ¿Cuáles gafas te gustan más? ¿Éstas o _________________? (those ones)
5. ¿Cuál es tu carro? _________________; el rojo. (that one over there)
6. ¿Qué blusa te gusta más? ________________; me gusta el color. (that one)
7. ¿Quieres comprar estos calcetines negros o ______________ (those ones) blancos?
Actividad # 3
Tus preferencias. Paso 1. Fill in the blanks using demonstrative adjectives for THIS / THESE, THAT / THOSE, and THAT / THOSE way over there. (To give perspective, the items farthest away are the smallest photos.
Paso 2. Write a sentence to say which one you prefer using the demonstrative pronouns.
Ejemplo: Me gustan éstos (I like these ones) or Prefiero áquellos (I prefer that one over there)
  
________tenis azules. _______zapatos de tacón. ___________botas de cuero.
|
 
_________ chaqueta es azul y muy bonita. ________ chaqueta roja es más barata.
2. __________________________.
|
|
_________jeans son cómodos ________jeans son baratos.
3. ____________________________. |
