Beginning Spanish ¡Empecemos por aquí!

304 •  Chapter 4: La vida que vivimos Lengua 4.3: Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns Demonstrative adjectives are words that demonstrate which noun we are referring to. Since they are adjectives, they accompany a noun, and they match the noun’s number and gender. Singular demonstra- tive adjectives in English are this and that . Plural demonstrative adjectives are these and those . In Spanish, there is also a third category that reflects more distance: This: este, esta That: ese, esa That over there: aquel, aquella These: estos, estas Those: esos, esas Those over there: aquellos, aquellas —¿Dónde compraste este pan? ¡Es delicioso! —Lo compré en esa panadería que encontramos el sábado pasado. Este libro es interesante, pero me gustó más aquella novela. Demonstrative pronouns are words that accomplish the same demonstrative function but also stand in for a noun. They are useful for avoiding repetition. In English, we say this one or those ones . The con- text must be clear enough that the noun itself is obvious—for example, “I don’t like this shirt as much as that one .” In Spanish, we use the same words as the demonstrative adjectives themselves; there is no need to add a word like one or ones . Spanish rules used to require accent marks on demonstrative pronouns, so you are likely to encounter these words with accents: —¿Qué restaurante te gusta más? ¿Este o ese? —Prefiero aquel. 34 El año pasado tomé una clase de francés. Esa clase fue más difícil que esta. Neuter pronouns You might have noticed that the singular masculine demonstrative pronouns end in -e , which is unusual for masculine forms. This is important to notice, because the words esto and eso do exist, but they work differently. Their meaning is closer to this or that (but as a noun); they are not referring back to a noun with an assigned gender. Here are some examples: ¿Qué es esto? Lo encontré en la calle, pero no sé qué es. Tengo veinte estudiantes, pero solo diecinueve exámenes, y eso me preocupa. 34 In this conversation, speakers would be pointing at their selections.