🎯 Why This Matters
To point at and identify things clearly.
Clear identification of objects in space and conversation.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Distance concept. Spanish has three levels (este/ese/aquel), English only has two (this/that). Plus, learners confuse these as pronouns vs adjectives.
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 Three levels → Two levels
Problem: Spanish has este (near), ese (medium), aquel (far)
Watch out: Trying to find English equivalent for 'ese' vs 'aquel'
✅ Fix: Both 'ese' and 'aquel' = THAT in English. Only two options!
🧠 Mental Note: Near me = this/these. Not near me = that/those. That's it!
🇪🇸 Same simplification needed
Problem: Castilian Spanish clearly distinguishes este/ese/aquel
Watch out: Looking for a third demonstrative that doesn't exist in English
✅ Fix: Merge ese and aquel into THAT. English is simpler here!
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
Arm's Reach Rule
THIS has 'i' like 'I' (me, close). THAT has 'a' like 'away' (far).
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
TH sound in demonstratives
Spanish Habit: Saying 'dis/dat' instead of 'this/that'
English Reality: The TH /ð/ sound doesn't exist in Spanish
Examples:
- this → /ðɪs/ (tongue between teeth)
- that → /ðæt/
- these → /ðiːz/
- those → /ðoʊz/
Practice: Put your tongue between your teeth for TH. Practice: 'the this that these those'
📖 How It Works
Teacher Recommendation: Self-study friendly
Time Investment: 2 hours
🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)
These words/phrases appear with this structure:
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| this | este/esta/esto | this book, this idea, this one |
| that | ese/esa/aquel/aquella | that car, that problem, that one |
| these | estos/estas | these books, these ideas |
| those | esos/esas/aquellos/aquellas | those cars, those problems |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: Singular near vs far
✅ CORRECT: "This is my phone. That is your phone."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Este es mi teléfono. Ese/Aquel es tu teléfono."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "That is my phone (while holding it)"
Why wrong? If you're holding it, it's THIS, not THAT
Example 2: Plural demonstratives
✅ CORRECT: "These shoes are new. Those shoes are old."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Estos zapatos son nuevos. Esos zapatos son viejos."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "This shoes / That shoes"
Why wrong? Plural nouns need THESE/THOSE, not THIS/THAT
Example 3: Phone conversations
✅ CORRECT: "Hello, this is Maria speaking."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Hola, habla María."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "Hello, that is Maria speaking."
Why wrong? On the phone, the speaker uses THIS for themselves
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!
🚀 What to Study Next
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