¿Dónde está esto?
The English phrase "where is this?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Dónde está esto?
For more formal settings, you can use ¿Dónde se encuentra esto? to be conventional and polite or ¿Podría indicarme dónde está esto? as a polite way to ask for help in finding a location.
Which one should you use?
Use ¿Dónde está este? instead of ¿Dónde está esto? if you are referring specifically to a masculine noun like el libro.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word esto is the neuter form of "this" and is used when referring to an unspecified object or a situation rather than a specific masculine or feminine noun. If you are asking about multiple items (Where are these?), change está to están and change esto to estos or estas.
Did you know?
- The phrase ¿Dónde se encuentra esto? uses the reflexive form of encontrar, which literally translates to 'where does this find itself?'
- In some regions, people might use ¿Dónde queda esto? instead of está when asking about a building or a landmark, as quedar implies how something is situated.
- The word esto descends from the Latin word istud, which was originally used to point to something near the listener rather than the speaker.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are looking at a tourist map.
- ElenaMateo, ¿dónde está esto?Mateo, where is this?
- MateoEstá muy cerca del museo.It is very close to the museum.
- ElenaNo lo veo aquí.I don't see it here.
- MateoEs este punto rojo.It is this red dot.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dónde, esto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
