Ese / aquel / esa / aquella ¿ Cuál es la diferencia ?

Question

Do 'ese' y 'aquel' have different meanings, or is this simply a matter of style of regional variation ?

Answer 1

Do 'ese' y 'aquel' have different meanings, or is this simply a matter of style of regional variation?

En la interpretación clásica, sí, pero debemos tener en cuenta que la idea de distancia radica en la mente del individuo. Diría que la diferencia entre estos demostrativos no es tanto una cuestión de estilo sino de subjetividad. Además, es importante realizar que entre hablantes hay una tendencia, por razones de eficiencia, a simplificar la lengua y de esa manera la distinción ternaria entre "este," "ese" y "aquel" a veces se reduce a una serie binaria así que muchas veces se puede emplear indistintamente o "aquel" o "ese" para hacer referencia a un objecto en la lejanía respecto del oyente.

Answer 2

It's a matter of distance or proximity.

ese/esa - that thing there (closer to you)

aquel/aquella - that thing over there (farther away)

¿Ese libro es tuyo? - That book is yours? (the book is in close proximity)

¿Aquel coche es tuyo? - That car(over there) is yours? (the car is farther away, perhaps you're looking out a window from a building and pointing to a car in the parking lot... or maybe it's just across the street, but it's not near you)

Gracias. I see. In Scots English some folk say 'thon', meaning 'that far away', & 'yonder' is sometimes still heard, so I guess it's similar. - Faldaesque, Aug 29, 2014

Yeah, precisely. That's actually how it was first explained to me (that there vs. that over yonder) and I'm sort of kicking myself for forgetting to mention that lol. - Hucklebeary, Aug 29, 2014