No Latin American Spanish voice installed — playing the Spain voice.
9.4
Grammar
Este, ese, aquel
Look and think
Claire says , the shop assistant says , and then Claire asks about . Why three different words?
Spanish has three distances: este (this, near me), ese (that, near you or not far), aquel (that over there, far from both of us).
Demonstratives agree with the noun. When the noun is clear, you can use them alone: For an unknown thing or an idea, use the neuter forms , , :
| masc. | fem. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. | neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| near me | este | esta | estos | estas | esto |
| near you | ese | esa | esos | esas | eso |
| over there | aquel | aquella | aquellos | aquellas | aquello |
Examples
Esta camiseta es muy bonita.
This T-shirt is very pretty.¿Cuánto cuestan esos zapatos?
How much are those shoes?Quiero aquel abrigo rojo.
I want that red coat over there.
Poder, costar, probarse: o → ue
Look and think
Find , , , . Which vowel changes?
Like (e → ie) in Unit 7, some verbs change o → ue when the stem is stressed — in all forms except nosotros and vosotros: / .
Costar is mostly used in the third person: (one thing) / (plural).
Poder + infinitive = can: Other o → ue verbs: (to come back), (to sleep), — now you see why it is (Unit 5).
| poder | probarse | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | me pruebo |
| tú | puedes | te pruebas |
| él / ella / usted | puede | se prueba |
| nosotros / nosotras | podemos | nos probamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | podéis | os probáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pueden | se prueban |
Examples
¿Puedo probarme estos pantalones?
Can I try on these trousers?Las botas cuestan noventa euros.
The boots cost ninety euros.No podemos ir de compras hoy.
We can't go shopping today.