Portuguese/Contents/L1/Lesson Nine - Getting The Groceries
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Demonstrative Pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun is used to point out something : this/these for something close to the speaker and that/those for something further away.
In Portuguese there are three sets of demonstrative pronouns:
| Demonstrative Pronoun | M sg | F sg | M pl | F pl | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| this/these near the speaker, near me |
este | esta | estes | estas | isto "this thing" |
| that/those near the listener, near you |
esse | essa | esses | essas | isso "that thing" |
| that/those (over there) beyond the speaker and the listener, away from both of us |
aquele | aquela | aqueles | aquelas | aquilo "that thing (over there)" |
Remember that the trailing "s" denotes plural. Demonstratives ending in "a" or "as" refer to feminine nouns.
Isso and essa means that, este means this. Isso is only used for a neuter meaning "this thing". Masculine nouns use este meaning.
- Essa bola "That ball" (feminine singular).
- Este carro "This car" (masculine singular).
- Isso or Isso ai "That one" or "That thing over there".
Read the sentences below:
- Poderia-me / Podias-me dar isso? "Could you / Can you give me that?"
- O que é aquilo? "What is that?"