esto o aquello
/esto o akeʝo/from spelling rules
The phrase "this or that" in Spanish is esto o aquello.
Which one should you use?
In the phrase esto o aquello, esto refers to something near the speaker, while aquello refers to something far from both the speaker and the listener.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms esto and aquello are neuter demonstrative pronouns used when the specific gender of the object is unknown or irrelevant.
How do you pronounce it?
/esto o akeʝo/
Did you know?
- The word o can be replaced by u if the following word begins with an 'o' or 'ho' sound. This prevents two identical vowel sounds from crashing together, which would sound awkward to a native speaker.
- Spanish is one of the few languages that maintains three distinct levels of distance for 'that', whereas English only has two: 'this' and 'that'.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, the distance represented by aquello is so extreme that it implies something not just physically distant, but something from the distant past or a memory.
Examples in context
- Me gusta esta cosa.I like this thing.
- No puedo ocuparme de este asunto ahora.I can't attend to this matter right now.
- Mira, ¡me compré esto!Look, I bought this!
- No puedo olvidar aquel día.I can't forget that day.
- Siempre me cuentas este rollo.You always tell me this story.
- No sé si quiero esto o aquello.I don't know if I want this or that.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are shopping for a new lamp.
- SofíaMira estas lámparas, ¿cuál te gusta más?Look at these lamps, which one do you like more?
- DanielNo puedo decidirme entre esto o aquello.I can't decide between this or that.
- SofíaA mí me gusta más la primera.I like the first one more.
- DanielTienes razón, vamos a comprar esa.You're right, let's buy that one.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
