Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions, Premium 3rd Edition (2016)

Part I. PRONOUNS

Chapter 5. Demonstrative pronouns

The pronouns in the following chart may look familiar to you, because they are identical to demonstrative adjectives, except that the demonstrative pronouns take an accent mark. Think of it like this: If you drop the noun, the demonstrative adjective picks up an accent mark and becomes a demonstrative pronoun.

The exception to this rule is the neuter forms: esto, eso, and aquello. These forms are discussed later.

Demonstrative pronouns with gender

When the pronoun refers to and includes the significance of something in particular, the gender and number of that referent are reflected in the pronoun.

Traducción

1. This book is mine, but that one is his.

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2. This house is pretty, but that (one) is prettier.

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3. These shoes are mine, and those are his.

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4. These chairs are hers, and those are mine.

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5. That boy over there is my neighbor (el vecino) and this (boy) is my son.

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6. These women are my neighbors, but those (women) over there are from some other (otro) city.

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7. That laptop is John’s, and that one over there is mine.

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8. Those magazines are terrible, but these are much better.

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9. This cell phone works (funcionar), but that one (over there) never works.

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10. These programs (el programa) are terrible, but those are even (aún) worse.

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Neuter demonstrative pronouns

In Spanish, to refer to something nonspecific (“That’s not true!”) or when you don’t know or can’t express the name of the referent (“What is this?”), use the neuter demonstrative pronoun. In other words, if there is no direct referent (so that it cannot be stated), the neuter demonstrative pronoun must be used.

The neuter demonstrative pronouns follow:

Demonstrative pronouns are generally used in exclamations, questions, and abstractions.

Traducción

1. This is great! _____________________________

2. What is this? _____________________________

3. That is a crime (el crimen). _____________________________

4. I never do that. _____________________________

5. This is a sin (el pecado). _____________________________

6. What is happening (pasar) with that (thing far away)? _____________________________

7. That is why you [sing., informal] should vote. _____________________________

8. This is why I shouldn’t smoke. _____________________________

9. Who says that? _____________________________

10. Who writes this? _____________________________

11. Who has that? _____________________________

12. Why do they do this? _____________________________

Traducción

“Who needs this? This is so stupid! I don’t need this for my job.” Some people say this when they are frustrated or when they have to take a class at (en) the university that they don’t want to take. It’s this class or that one. It’s this professor or that one. It’s these books or those. It’s these assignments or those. When does this end? Does this end after graduation? Unfortunately, no. This is often an attitude for life.

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