Quien es ese? vs Quien es esto?

Question

Hi Everyone!

I would be so grateful if you all can help me clarify a few phrases.

Quien es? - Who is this? (Formal)

I'm not sure what the informal of this is.

Quien es este? - Who is this? (I've been told if used wrong it can seem very rude)

Quien es l? - Who is he? (Formal) Quien es ella? - Who is she? (Formal)

Sorry! Now to my actual question.

What is the right way to say "Who is that?"

When do I use the word "ese"?

Thank You!

Answer 1

I could imagine one of the women in the picture asking the other one, "¿Quién es ese hombre?". I don't think "¿Quién es ese hombre?" is very different from "¿Quién es él?" in that case. But "¿Quién es éste/ése?" sounds belittling and offensive. Possibly a husband catching his wife with another man could turn to her and say "¿Quién es éste?" and you know that isn't going to end well (correct me if I'm wrong about this).

I couldn't have said it better. ¡Bien hecho! - cokee, Mar 19, 2015

Thanks for the nice words and for confirming it as a native speaker, I really appreciate it! :) - Manity, Mar 19, 2015

Answer 2

The correct way to say it is "¿Quién es él/élla?. If you say "¿Quién es ése/ésa?" or "¿Quién es éste/ésta?" it would probably sound offensive.