¿es esto?
In Spanish, "is this?" is expressed as ¿es esto?
The phrase ¿es esto? is a question used to ask for the identity or nature of an object.
Which one should you use?
You should use ¿es esto? when you do not know the gender of the object you are inquiring about. If the gender of the object is known, you should use ¿es esta? for feminine objects or ¿es este? for masculine objects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word esto is the neuter form of "this" and is used when the gender of the object is unknown, or when referring to an abstract concept or situation. In standard Spanish question word order, the subject esto can be placed after the verb es.
Did you know?
- Using ¿es esto? to refer to a situation or a complex abstract idea is a common way to express disbelief or shock, similar to saying 'Is this really happening?'
- The Spanish word es is a direct relative of the English word 'is', as both descended from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ésti.
Examples in context
- ¿Es esto el nuevo producto que lanzaron?Is this the new product you launched?
- ¡Mira esto! ¿Esto es nuevo?Look at this! Is this new?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, esto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
