ese/esa/esos/esas
Demonstrative Adjectives (Mid)
Say “that” or “those,” matching the noun: ese libro, esa casa, esos libros, esas casas.
How It Works
Choose the agreeing form: masculine singular ese, feminine singular esa, masculine plural esos, feminine plural esas. Thus ese libro means “that book” and esas casas means “those houses.” These forms can also stand without a following noun when the referent is clear.
Pointing things out. A common beginner contrast is este for something presented as close to the speaker, ese for something near the listener, and aquel for something presented as farther away. Actual choice depends on the speaker’s viewpoint, the shared situation, and the variety of Spanish. Ese is not limited to objects beyond arm’s reach or at a fixed middle distance. It can also refer back to a topic already mentioned, as in ese tema (that topic).
Both can be valid: Este libro que tienes en la mano es muy bueno. / Ese libro que tienes en la mano es muy bueno. The first presents the listener’s book as part of the speaker’s immediate shared space or focus; the second presents it as “that book.” Being in the listener’s hand does not make este incorrect.
Examples (5)
- Ese coche es rápido.
That car is fast.
Word by Word: That car is fast.
- Me gusta esa camisa.
I like that shirt.
Word by Word: To me pleases that shirt.
- ¿Ves esos pájaros?
Do you see those birds?
Word by Word: See those birds?
- Esas llaves son tuyas.
Those keys are yours.
Word by Word: Those keys are yours.
- Pásame ese plato, por favor.
Pass me that plate, please.
Word by Word: Pass me that plate, please.
Ese identifies the plate in the shared situation. It may be closer to the listener, but the sentence does not establish a fixed distance.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to match the gender and number of the noun.
Me gusta ese falda.Me gusta esa falda.The noun
falda(skirt) is feminine, so you must use the feminine formesa, not the masculineese.
Related Patterns
- este/esta/estos/estasDemonstrative Adjectives (Near)
Este usually presents a referent as close to the speaker. The contrast with ese depends on viewpoint and context, not a strict distance boundary.
Foundations - aquel/aquella/aquellos/aquellasDemonstrative Adjectives (Far)
Aquel can present a referent as more distant. Some varieties use ese broadly for distant objects too.
Foundations - Adjective Agreement
Just like other adjectives,
Foundationsese,esa,esos, andesasmust match the gender and number of the noun they describe.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ese/esa/esos/esas in Bubblegum
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