Demonstrative adjectives I

Introduction

You use demonstrative adjectives every single day, even if you don't know it. "Hand me those books," "I like these shoes," "Where did you find that shirt?" All of these are examples of demonstrative adjectives, which have this name because they are used to demonstrate which item you are referring to.

This and These

The demonstrative adjectives "this" and "these" imply closeness -- the item is right at hand, literally or figuratively. Like most adjectives in Spanish, all demonstratives match their nouns in number and gender. However, demonstrative adjectives, like possessive adjectives, come before their nouns, rather than after. As a brief side note about the importance of accent marks, see if you can figure out what they are so crucial, specifically with the verb estar.

That and Those

"That" and "those" refer to items that are a little farther away from you, again, either literally or figuratively. "That summer" is distant; "this summer" is right around the corner.

Another brief aside: eso is not a demonstrative adjective. It is a word, but it is a pronoun, not an adjective. Therefore, sentences that look like, "Eso zapato es azul," are completely incorrect. It should be, "Ese zapato es azul" (That shoe is blue).

A final helpful hint: some people like this rhyme to help them differentiate between this and that:

"This and these both have t's, that and those don't."

Examples

Esa mujer es muy bonita. (That woman is very pretty.)

Estos pantalones son feos. (These pants are ugly.)

Ese restaurante sirve comida deliciosa. (That restaurant serves delicious food.)

Me gusta esa camiseta, pero no me gusta esta blusa. (I like that shirt, but I do not like this blouse.)