Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ese | /ˈese/ | masculine |
| aquese | /aˈkese/ | masculine, poetic, alternative form |
| aquel | /aˈkel/ | masculine |
The words in this group are used to indicate what is being indicated. If you are referring to an abstract idea or an object that is unknown or unnamed, you should use the neuter form eso.
Which one should you use?
Use ese to refer to something near the listener. For something much further away from both the speaker and the listener, use aquel. When referring to an abstract idea or an unknown object rather than a specific noun, use the neuter form eso.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular ese changes to the feminine singular esa to match a feminine noun. To match plural nouns, use the masculine plural esos or the feminine plural esas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈese/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use ese as a conjunction to mean 'that' in the sense of connecting clauses (for example, in 'I think that…'). In those cases, use que instead.
Did you know?
- In some dialects, ese is used as a slang term to address a friend or associate, similar to saying 'homie' or 'dude' in English.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, using ese or esa to refer to a person can sound dismissive or rude, as if you are pointing to an object rather than a human.
- The word ese is a direct descendant of the Latin word ipse, which means 'himself' or 'the very same'.
Examples in context
- Ese no es Tom.That isn't Tom.This example shows how to use ese to identify a person.Tatoeba #2625325 by Shishir, translation #2235898 by CK
- Ese es un bote.That is a boat.This example uses ese to identify an object.Tatoeba #1178634 by marcelostockle, translation #1097995 by cntrational
- ¿Es ese tu DVD?Is that your DVD?This example uses ese to ask a question about a specific object.Tatoeba #2108319 by marcelostockle, translation #12904339 by araneo
- El libro ese es muy interesante.That book is very interesting.
- La película esa es excelente.That movie is excellent.
- Aquel cuadro es una obra maestra.That painting is a masterpiece.
- Aquella casa es muy grande.That house is very big.
- Eso está muy lejos.That is very far.
- Eso es increíble.That is incredible.
- Ese carro es genial.That car is awesome.
- Esa canción es pegajosa.That song is catchy.
- Eso es absurdo.That is absurd.
- 2207 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- Sofía¿Qué quieres comer, Daniel?What do you want to eat, Daniel?
- DanielQuiero ese plato de pasta.I want that pasta dish.
- SofíaPero ese plato es muy picante.But that dish is very spicy.
- DanielNo importa, me gusta el picante.It doesn't matter, I like spicy food.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “that” translations and entries ese, aquese, aquel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aquel, aquese, ese, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
