Same word...different forms?

Question

I know questions similar to this have been asked, but I am still confused.

With the words: esta, ésta, and está.

When I asked a Guatemalan friend, he explained somewhat the differences, and then said that the form ésta doesn't even exist.

Does anyone know what the differences are with these, and when they are to be used?

Answer 1

Hi Aubrey!

You probably already know the answer in the back of your mind so maybe just a couple of reminders will make it click.

Esta (pronounced with stress on the e: E-sta) means "this". Ex: This house. Esta casa. Also it is used in this way: This is the house. Esta es la casa.

Está (pronounced with stress on the a: e-STA) is a form of the verb "estar". Example: That man is tired. El hombre está cansado.

Why the accent? Say this sentence: Esta mujer está cansada. They have to be pronounced differently to convey the correct meaning.

However your friend was correct. To write 'ésta' is redundant, since it would be pronounced the same was the first example above. The rules of pronunciation require that if a) a word has no accent marks and b) it ends with a vowel, then you emphasize the second to last syllable. So there is no "ésta".

Some will say that it is used where there is uncertainty about the pronunciation, but if the rules of pronunciation are followed correctly, there can really never be any uncertainty.

I hope that helps. And it was a good question. Keep asking questions like that and the pieces will keep falling into place for you.

great answer...however, sometimes accents are used to distinguish between meanings: yes/if...this/this one...that/that one... - mountaingirl123, Mar 3, 2010

this is extremely useful, thank you so much!!! it's a lot more clear now. I just kinda figured this is a really simple basic that i should know! haha. but yeah, thank you. - aubreyk, Mar 4, 2010

Answer 2

Ésta is a demonstrative pronoun. It literally means: this one here.

Example: Éste es mi padre.-This is my father.

Here´s the link to the reference article on demonstrative pronouns.

perfecto! - mountaingirl123, Mar 3, 2010

thank you for the article. i'll look into it more. i appreciate you helping me out! - aubreyk, Mar 4, 2010

Answer 3

As mentioned, the use of the accents on demonstrative pronouns is optional, but certainly not non-existent, and you need to recognize what they are when you see them.

Note: The use of accents on demonstrative pronouns is not strictly necessary, according to some key authorities, unless necessary to prevent ambiguity. However, such use of accents is traditional, quite common and expected in some publications.

Good point. :-) - chaparrito, Mar 4, 2010

Answer 4

"está" is the third person singular conjugation of the verb estar. ex. "El libro está en la mesa."

Your friend was right, "ésta" does not exist; the natural stress of "esta" is on the "e", where you have placed an accent, making it redundant. "Esta" means "this". You should use "esta" to mean "this" when you are sure that the noun is feminine. ex. "Me gusta esta camisa."

Hope this clears some things up. If you are still confused, let me know.

no, this really is helping a lot. i was just confused on which to use, and when. thank you. :) - aubreyk, Mar 4, 2010