Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns

Demonstrative adjectives/pronouns demonstrate (hence the word “demonstrative”) which noun is being referred to. In

English, “that”, “this”, “these”, and “those” are demonstrative adjectives/pronouns. In Spanish there are several different

demonstrative adjectives/pronouns, depending on the number of the noun (singular/plural), the gender of the noun

(masculine/feminine), and the distance of the noun from the speaker (“Distance” is a somewhat relative concept). Study

the following chart:

Close objects (within arm’s reach)

Close objects (not within arm’s reach)

Far away objects

Masculine singular objects

Feminine singular objects

Masculine plural objects

Feminine plural objects

este

esta

estos

estas

ese

esa

esos

esas

aquel

aquella

aquellos

aquellas

Let’s do some examples. Write the demonstrative pronoun, using the given clues. The answer will appear after 10

seconds.Él tiene CD en casa. (within arm’s reach)

Tú quieres silla. (far away)

Veo perro. (close, not in arm’s reach)

revista es interesante. (within arm’s reach)

aquella

ese

este

Esta

Let’s do some practice. Complete these sentences with the appropriate demonstrative adjective, according to

the given clues. Tú ves a _______ chica. (far away)

aquella!That’s right… it’s

este!That’s right… it’s

Eva lee ______ libro en la clase de inglés. (in arm’s reach)

Here’s some more practice. _______ blusas son caras. (close, not in arm’s reach)

esas!That’s right… it’s

estos! That’s right… it’s

______ alumnos son inteligentes. (in arm’s reach)

Quiero comprar ______ coche. (far away)

aquel!That’s right… it’s

este!That’s right… it’s

Teresa y Juan leen _______ periódico mucho. (in arm’s reach)

VOILA!

See how easy that was? Now try some on your

own – click the button to do a practice quiz.

PracticeQuiz

Replay