I can point to a thing and name it: este near me, esse near you, aquele far from both of us, and ask “O que é isto?” when I don't know what it's called.
Este, esse, aquele: near me, near you, far away
Este, esse, aquele: near me, near you, far away
The words este, esse, and aquele (“this”, “that”) point at a thing and say which one you mean.
English has two distances, “this” and “that”; Portuguese has three: este is what's near me (aqui); esse is what's near you, the listener (aí); aquele is what's far from both of us (ali, lá). About a backpack in the listener's hands, a Portuguese speaker says essa mochila, not esta.
The forms agree with the noun: este livro, esta mala, estes livros, estas malas. The same goes for esse and aquele: all three rows are in the first table.
With no noun, use isto, isso, or aquilo: O que é isto? (near me), O que é isso? (near you), O que é aquilo? (far away). These three words never change.
Place words: aqui — here, near me; aí — there, near you; ali — over there; lá — there, far away. English “there” covers the last three.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Esta livro é velho” → “Este livro é velho.”
• NOT “O que é este?” with no noun → “O que é isto?”
• NOT “Aquele malas são grandes” → “Aquelas malas são grandes.”
• NOT “Esse é a minha mala” about a thing in your own hands → “Esta é a minha mala.”
This and that: three distances
The forms agree with the noun: este livro, esta mala, estes livros, estas malas.
| Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|
| este | esta | estes | estas |
| esse | essa | esses | essas |
| aquele | aquela | aqueles | aquelas |
When there's no noun
isto, isso, and aquilo never change.
| Word | Place word | When it's used |
|---|---|---|
| isto | aqui | a thing near me |
| isso | aí | a thing near the listener |
| aquilo | ali, lá | a thing far from both of us |
Lesson notes
Este, esse, aquele: near me, near you, far away
The words este, esse, and aquele (“this”, “that”) point at a thing and say which one you mean.
English has two distances, “this” and “that”; Portuguese has three: este is what's near me (aqui); esse is what's near you, the listener (aí); aquele is what's far from both of us (ali, lá). About a backpack in the listener's hands, a Portuguese speaker says essa mochila, not esta.
The forms agree with the noun: este livro, esta mala, estes livros, estas malas. The same goes for esse and aquele: all three rows are in the first table.
With no noun, use isto, isso, or aquilo: O que é isto? (near me), O que é isso? (near you), O que é aquilo? (far away). These three words never change.
Place words: aqui — here, near me; aí — there, near you; ali — over there; lá — there, far away. English “there” covers the last three.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Esta livro é velho” → “Este livro é velho.”
• NOT “O que é este?” with no noun → “O que é isto?”
• NOT “Aquele malas são grandes” → “Aquelas malas são grandes.”
• NOT “Esse é a minha mala” about a thing in your own hands → “Esta é a minha mala.”