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How to Say "those" in Spanish

English → Spanish

esas

/EH-sahs//'esas/

Adjective, PronounA1, A2General
Use 'esas' for feminine plural nouns or pronouns when referring to things or people that are relatively close to the speaker or that have been recently mentioned.
A person pointing towards a cluster of colorful roses placed on a table at a middle distance, symbolizing the feminine plural demonstrative adjective 'those'.

Examples

¿Me pasas esas llaves, por favor?

Can you pass me those keys, please?

Esas chicas de allá son mis primas.

Those girls over there are my cousins.

No estoy de acuerdo con esas ideas.

I don't agree with those ideas.

De todas las flores, prefiero esas.

Of all the flowers, I prefer those.

Pointing Out Feminine Things

Use 'esas' right before a feminine, plural noun (like 'casas' or 'sillas') to point out 'those' specific things. It always has to match the noun it describes.

Where Are 'Those' Things?

'Esas' points to things that are a bit far from you, the speaker. Think of them as being closer to the person you're talking to, or just somewhere in the middle distance.

Replacing Nouns to Sound Natural

Use 'esas' by itself to replace a feminine, plural noun you just mentioned. Instead of saying 'Me gustan esas casas,' you can just say 'Me gustan esas' if everyone knows you're talking about houses.

Mixing up 'esas' and 'aquellas'

Mistake: “Me gustan esas montañas en el horizonte.”

Correction: Me gustan aquellas montañas en el horizonte. Use 'aquellas' for things that are very far from both you and the listener. 'Esas' is for things in the middle distance.

Adding an Accent Mark (Old Rule!)

Mistake: “Me gustan ésas.”

Correction: Me gustan esas. A long time ago, you had to write an accent mark on 'ésas' when it replaced a noun. Good news! The rule has changed, and you no longer need the accent. It's always 'esas'.

ésos

PronounA1General
Use 'ésos' as a pronoun to replace masculine plural nouns when referring to items or people that are not immediately present, or to contrast with something else.

Examples

¿Qué zapatos prefieres? —Ésos.

Which shoes do you prefer? —Those ones.

aquellas

ah-KEH-yahs/aˈkeʎas/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'aquellas' as an adjective referring to feminine plural nouns that are far away from both the speaker and the listener.
A storybook illustration of a vast, sunny green meadow. Five large, red flowers are clustered far away near the horizon line, emphasizing their distance from the viewer.

Examples

Aquellas montañas tienen nieve en la cima.

Those mountains (way over there) have snow on the peak.

Me encantan aquellas casas antiguas del centro.

I love those old houses (far away) downtown.

Identifying Distance

Use 'aquellas' to point out feminine things that are far away from both you and the person you are talking to (like saying 'way over there').

Matching the Noun

'Aquellas' must match the noun it describes in number and gender (plural and feminine, e.g., 'mesas', 'sillas', 'personas').

Confusing Distance

Mistake: “Using 'estas' (these) or 'esas' (those nearby) when the object is very far.”

Correction: If the item is distant, use the 'aquel' series: 'Aquellas' flores (those flowers way over there).

Confusing 'esas' and 'aquellas'

The most common mistake is not differentiating the distance implied by 'esas' (near/mentioned) versus 'aquellas' (far away). Remember that 'aquellas' specifically indicates a greater distance than 'esas'.

Related Translations

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