Q&AIs it Este or Esto?

Is it Este or Esto?

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To describe something masculine, would I use este or esto? On a website I went to, it said "Este" was the correct demonstrative pronoun, but on this thread http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/250106/easy-game-qu-es-esto , it says "Esto."

Which one do I use?

Singular: | Plural:

.Near: este estos
.Far: : ese esos

Is this correct?

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updated Oct 20, 2014

edited by unbelievable

posted by unbelievable

2 Answers

votes

Este is for a masculine item, esto is for an unknown or abstract idea, that can incude things that are not nouns, but have to be expressed in phrases like actions.

http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/demonstratives.htm

The demonstrative adjectives also have four forms:

este libro (this book) estos libros (these books) esta pluma (this pen) estas plumas (these pens)

ese libro (that book) esos libros (those books) esa pluma (that pen) esas plumas (those pens)

aquel libro (that book over there) aquellos libros (those books over there) aquella pluma (that pen over there) aquellas plumas (those pens over there)

Here are the corresponding demonstrative pronouns:

este (this one - masculine) estos (these ones - masculine) esta (this one - feminine) estas (these ones - feminine)

ese (that one - masculine) esos (those ones - masculine) esa (that one - feminine) esas (those ones - feminine)

aquel (that one over there - masc.) aquellos (those ones over there - masc.) aquella (that one over there - fem.) aquellas (those ones over there - fem.)

Each demonstrative pronoun also has a neuter form. They do not change for number or gender, and they are used to refer to abstract ideas, or to an unknown object.

esto (this matter, this thing)

eso (that matter, that thing)

aquello (that matter/thing over there)

Note: The rule used to be that the demonstrative pronouns always carried a written accent, while the demonstrative adjectives did not. But in 1959 the Real Academia Española, the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language, ruled in its revised spelling rules Nuevas normas that the written accent is only required to remove certain ambiguities, the type of which almost never appear in written Spanish. Thus, in practice, the written accent is not required. However, it should also be noted that not everyone has jumped on the RAE bandwagon, -- including Madrid's daily newspaper El País as well as the majority of Spanish grammars that you are likely to encounter.