Demonstrativos: este / esse / aquele (isto / isso / aquilo)
Demonstrativos: este / esse / aquele (isto / isso / aquilo) means “Demonstratives: this / that / that (over there)”. Portuguese has a three-way demonstrative system: este/esta (near the speaker), esse/essa (near the listener), and aquele/aquela (far from both). Formation: este/esta/estes/estas · esse/essa/esses/essas · aquele/aquela/aqueles/aquelas · neutros invariáveis: isto / isso / aquilo · de+esse=desse · em+esse=nesse · de+aquele=daquele · em+aquele=naquele
Demonstratives: this / that / that (over there)
A2Formation
este/esta/estes/estas · esse/essa/esses/essas · aquele/aquela/aqueles/aquelas · neutros invariáveis: isto / isso / aquilo · de+esse=desse · em+esse=nesse · de+aquele=daquele · em+aquele=naquele
Explanation
Portuguese has a three-way demonstrative system: este/esta (near the speaker), esse/essa (near the listener), and aquele/aquela (far from both). They agree in gender and number with the noun, and there are invariable neuter forms — isto, isso, aquilo — for unnamed things or ideas, as in 'O que é isso?' (What's that?). In everyday Brazilian speech, though, the este/esse distinction has largely collapsed: Brazilians overwhelmingly say esse/essa/isso for both 'this' and 'that near me', keeping aquele only for 'that over there'. Note that these merge with de and em: de + esse = desse, em + esse = nesse, de + aquele = daquele, em + aquele = naquele. If you speak Spanish, be careful — Spanish's tidy este/ese/aquel matches the written standard but not how Brazilians actually talk, so don't overuse 'este' in conversation.
Examples
Note
When in doubt in spoken Brazil, use 'esse/essa/isso' — it covers both 'this' and 'that near you'. Save 'aquele/aquela/aquilo' for what's far away in space or time ('naquela época', back then).
FAQ
Demonstrativos: este / esse / aquele (isto / isso / aquilo) — what does it mean and how is it used?
Demonstratives: this / that / that (over there). Portuguese has a three-way demonstrative system: este/esta (near the speaker), esse/essa (near the listener), and aquele/aquela (far from both). They agree in gender and number with the noun, and there are invariable neuter forms — isto, isso, aquilo — for unnamed things or ideas, as in 'O que é isso?' (What's that?). In everyday Brazilian speech, though, the este/esse distinction has largely collapsed: Brazilians overwhelmingly say esse/essa/isso for both 'this' and 'that near me', keeping aquele only for 'that over there'. Note that these merge with de and em: de + esse = desse, em + esse = nesse, de + aquele = daquele, em + aquele = naquele. If you speak Spanish, be careful — Spanish's tidy este/ese/aquel matches the written standard but not how Brazilians actually talk, so don't overuse 'este' in conversation.
Demonstrativos: este / esse / aquele (isto / isso / aquilo) — how do you form it?
este/esta/estes/estas · esse/essa/esses/essas · aquele/aquela/aqueles/aquelas · neutros invariáveis: isto / isso / aquilo · de+esse=desse · em+esse=nesse · de+aquele=daquele · em+aquele=naquele
Demonstrativos: este / esse / aquele (isto / isso / aquilo) — any usage notes?
When in doubt in spoken Brazil, use 'esse/essa/isso' — it covers both 'this' and 'that near you'. Save 'aquele/aquela/aquilo' for what's far away in space or time ('naquela época', back then).