difference in esta with accent and without

Question

What is the difference between esta and ésta? I assume it's the same for esto and éstos.

Answer 1

None of those words have anything to do with the verb "estar". The form of this verb is "está", with the accent on the last syllable:

• esta - "this" before feminine nouns: esta casa, esta mujer,...
• ésta - "this" used as a pronoun to refer to a feminine noun: Mira ésta. Compra ésta.
• está - He/she/it is

Note: Since 1998, the official spelling system says that you only need to write "ésta" if the sentence can be ambiguous; otherwise you simply write it as "esta".

Answer 2

Esta can be a article when it's next to a noun (esta silla = this chair) or it can also be a pronoun (¿cuál quieres? - esta = which one would you like? - this one)

When there may be ambiguity in the sentence, and the difference of being an article or being a pronoun can change the meaning, it should go with accent when it is a pronoun.

And the same to estas, este, estes, but not no esto and estos

Answer 3

One is a conjugation of verb estar (to be), and the other is a feminine version of the word "this".

None of them are related to "estar". - lazarus1907, Aug 31, 2010