Variable Demonstratives

As we mentioned, when you say this, that, these, or those in Portuguese, you have to be a little more specific…

Variable demonstratives are used to indicate all of the following at once:

• a person or object’s gender
• the number (one or more)
• the position in space or time

The gender and number part is pretty easy, because we’ve been applying similar rules in other aspects of the language. But the “demonstrative” part of this fancy name refers to the last point above, the item’s position. We must choose which word to use, according to which one of the following fits best:

• a) The object is near the speaker,
• b) The object is far from the speaker, but near the listener, OR
• c) The object is far away from both speaker and listener

As you may have realized, this doesn’t happen in English. You just have to choose between this and that. The position of the object relative to the speaker is the only thing that counts. In Portuguese, however, we have to think about where the object is in relation to the listener, too.
The variable demonstratives are:

• Near the speaker: estethisCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Masculine  | estestheseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine | estathisCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Feminine | estastheseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Feminine
• Near the listener: essethatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Masculine | essesthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine | essathatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Feminine | essasthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Feminine
• Far from both: aquelethatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Masculine | aquelesthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine | aquelathatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Feminine | aquelasthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Feminine

As you may have guessed, the ones ending in “e” or “es” refer to masculine items and the ones ending in “a” or “as” refer to feminine items. Note: We’ll cover invariable demonstratives in more detail later in this unit.
First, let’s review the variable demonstratives in the charts below, and then we’ll look at some examples.

Let’s Review…

Singular (This & That)

Relative Position	Masculine	Feminine
Near the speaker:	estethisCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Masculine	estathisCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Feminine
Near the listener:	essethatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Masculine	essathatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Feminine
Far from both:	aquelethatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Masculine	aquelathatCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Singular, Feminine

Plural (These & Those)

Relative Position	Masculine	Feminine
Near the speaker:	estestheseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine	estastheseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Feminine
Near the listener:	essesthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine	essasthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Feminine
Far from both:	aquelesthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine	aquelasthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Feminine

This & These (Near the Speaker)

Este(s) and esta(s) are used when we want to refer to someone or something that is close to you, exactly like how you would use this or these in English. For example, if you were shopping and noticed a beautiful watch next to you, you would say:
Este relógio é bom.This watch is nice/good.Community Slow audio Play audio
Since relógio is a masculine, singular noun, you use the masculine, singular form: este.
If, instead of a watch, you were looking at a pricey t-shirt, you would use the feminine, singular form: esta, because t-shirt is a feminine word in Portuguese:
Esta t-shirt é cara.This t-shirt is expensive.Community Slow audio Play audio
Now, imagine you’re shopping with a friend, who holds up a pair of shoes and says:
Estes sapatos vão bem com o teu fato.These shoes go well with your suit.Community Slow audio Play audio
Let’s break this one down:

• Gender: Sapatos are masculine. If there was one shoe, we would start with “este” a masculine, singular variable demonstrative.
• Number: But since there are 2 shoes, we just add an “s”, resulting in “estes“.
• Location: Because the shoes are near the speaker, he says estestheseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine instead of essesthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine or aquelesthoseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Demonstratives, Plural, Masculine

That & Those (Near the Listener, or Far Away)

If your friend were to make a comment about the t-shirt or watch next to you, he wouldn’t use esta or este, because the objects aren’t close to him. However, since you, as the listener, are close to the items, he can use the pronouns esse or essa. He could say something like:
Quanto custa essa t-shirt?How much does that (near listener) t-shirt cost?Community Slow audio Play audio
On the other hand, if either one of you wants to mention someone or something that is far away from both of you, the right pronouns to use would be aquele or aquela.
Viste aquela rapariga linda?Did you see that (far away) beautiful girl?Community Slow audio Play audio
Now let’s say you continued your shopping trip at a furniture store. The following example is something you might say about the sofas that are right next to your friend, and the chairs that are far away, on the other side of the store.
Esses sofás são confortáveis, mas aquelas cadeiras não.Those sofas (near listener) are comfortable, but those chairs (far from both) are not.Community Slow audio Play audio
Sofás are masculine and cadeiras are feminine.

European vs. Brazilian Portuguese

In the above examples, you can see that while both esse/essa and aquele/aquela translate to that in English, they are used in distinct situations. The case is different with Brazilian Portuguese, where esse/essa have come to mean the same as este/esta, both corresponding to the English this. So, Brazilians’ choice of demonstrative pronouns boils down to only esse/essa (this) and aquele/aquela (that).

Replacing the Noun

Variable demonstratives can be followed by the respective noun, like in the previous examples: este relógio, essa t-shirt, aquelas cadeiras, etc. However, once context is established, these same words can also be used as demonstrative pronouns, without the noun, to simplify and avoid repetition. For example:
Preferes este casaco ou aquele?Do you prefer this coat (near speaker) or that one (far from both) ?Community Slow audio Play audio
Prefiro esse.I prefer that one (near listener) .Community Slow audio Play audio
Since the context is known, it’s basically as if the noun is implied. The listener knows that when you say aquele you’re referring to aquele casaco. Note: In English, we often add the word “one” in these contexts, as in: “I want that one”. In Portuguese, this doesn’t happen.