Introduction
Knowing how to say this and that in Brazilian Portuguese is one of the first steps to pointing, describing, and asking about things. This article explains demonstratives for beginners, with clear rules, practical examples, useful vocabulary, common mistakes, and simple exercises to build confidence in real conversations.
- What are demonstratives and why they matter
- How agreement works: gender and number
- Distinguishing este, esse, and aquele
- Demonstrative pronouns vs demonstrative adjectives
- Demonstratives in time and abstract ideas
- Common phrases with demonstratives
- Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
- Short practice exercises for beginners
- Helpful vocabulary to practice with demonstratives
- Quick reference chart
- Conclusion
What are demonstratives and why they matter
Demonstratives are words used to indicate specific people, objects, places, or ideas in relation to the speaker and listener. In English they are this, that, these, and those. In Brazilian Portuguese demonstratives change for gender and number and sometimes become pronouns or adjectives. Learning them helps you point out items in a store, talk about objects on a table, and ask questions in everyday situations.
Basic Brazilian Portuguese demonstratives
Portuguese demonstratives vary by distance and by whether they agree with the noun in gender and number. The three main distance categories are near the speaker, near the listener, and far from both. Below are the core forms you will use every day.
near the speaker (this): este, esta, estes, estas
near the listener (that close to you): esse, essa, esses, essas
far from both (that over there/that before): aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas
How agreement works: gender and number
In Brazilian Portuguese demonstratives change to match the noun. Portuguese nouns are masculine or feminine, and singular or plural. The demonstrative must agree with the noun it modifies.
Examples with objects a beginner will see:
o livro — este livro (masculine singular)
a cadeira — esta cadeira (feminine singular)
os livros — estes livros (masculine plural)
as cadeiras — estas cadeiras (feminine plural)
Near the listener examples (common in spoken BR)
In Brazil, esse/essa are extremely common in conversation when referring to something the listener knows or holds.
Esse telefone é meu. — That phone is mine.
Você trouxe essa bolsa? — Did you bring that bag?
Esses documentos estão na mesa. — Those documents are on the table.
Distinguishing este, esse, and aquele
Use este/esta when the object is close to the speaker, esse/essa when it is close to the listener or already mentioned, and aquele/aquela when it is far from both or in the past context. Choosing correctly makes your meaning clearer.
Practical situational examples
Shopping: Você quer este casaco ou aquele casaco ali?
Do you want this jacket or that jacket over there?
At a café: Este café está quente, mas aquele está frio.
This coffee is hot, but that one over there is cold.
On the phone: Meu amigo disse que vai trazer esse livro amanhã.
My friend said he will bring that book tomorrow.
Demonstrative pronouns vs demonstrative adjectives
When a demonstrative directly modifies a noun, it is an adjective and stays before the noun. When it stands alone and replaces the noun, it acts like a pronoun. Portuguese uses the same words in both roles but context and sometimes contraction with prepositions change the form.
Adjective: Esta casa é bonita. — This house is beautiful.
Pronoun: Esta é bonita. — This one is beautiful.
Prepositions and contractions
When demonstratives follow prepositions you often see contractions with de, em, por, or a. These are common in everyday speech and necessary to sound natural.
de + este = deste, de + esse = desse, de + aquele = daquele
em + este = neste, em + esse = nesse, em + aquele = naquele
Examples: Ele falou deste assunto ontem. — He talked about this topic yesterday.
O livro está nesse armário. — The book is in that cabinet.
Demonstratives in time and abstract ideas
Demonstratives also refer to time or abstract ideas, not just physical distance. Esse and aquele are very useful when talking about recent events or events further in the past.
Essa semana eu tenho duas reuniões. — This week (that week, near now) I have two meetings.
Aquele dia foi especial. — That day was special (referring to a day further in the past).
Useful time expressions
hoje, amanhã, ontem — today, tomorrow, yesterday
esta semana, essa semana, naquela semana — this week, that week, that week over there/that week before
Examples: Hoje eu vou usar este casaco. — Today I will wear this coat.
Naquela época eu morava aqui. — At that time I lived here.
Common phrases with demonstratives
Here are everyday phrases you will encounter and can use right away.
O que é isso? — What is this?/What is that? (useable for objects you point to)
Isso é para você. — This/that is for you.
Isso não é meu. — That is not mine.
Isso parece bom. — That looks good.
Para mim, isto é importante. — For me, this is important.
Note on isso, isto, aquilo
Isto, isso, and aquilo are neuter demonstratives used when the speaker is not specifying gender or when referring to an idea or unspecified object. They do not change for gender or number.
Isto é fácil. — This is easy (referring to a situation or idea).
Isso é verdade. — That is true (referring to what the listener said).
Aquilo foi incrível. — That over there/that (in the past) was amazing.
Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
Mixing gender and number: Always check the noun gender. If unsure, learn the article with the noun: o livro, a mesa.
Overusing este: Brazilians often prefer esse in casual speech even when the object is physically closer to the speaker. Both are correct, but using esse is safer in conversation.
Wrong preposition contractions: Learn common contractions like nesse, naquele, deste. Practice them in simple sentences to make them natural.
Practical tips for remembering
Pair demonstratives with articles when practicing: este carro, essa roupa, aquele prédio.
Create mini dialogues and use pointing: Eu quero este; Você prefere esse?; Não, aquele ali. This builds muscle memory.
Use visual flashcards showing distance: near me = este/esta, near you = esse/essa, far = aquele/aquela.
Short practice exercises for beginners
Label three objects on a table with sticky notes: este, esse, aquele. Say full sentences: Este copo é meu. Esse copo é seu? Aquele copo é dela?
Listen and repeat: Find short Brazilian Portuguese videos or audio and pick out demonstratives. Pause and repeat the phrases you hear.
Fill-in-the-blank: O _____ livro é interessante. (este/esse/aquele) Choose based on where the book is located relative to speaker and listener.
Sample practice sentences with translations
Este é meu telefone. — This is my phone.
Você leu essa notícia? — Did you read that news item?
Aquele restaurante é caro. — That restaurant over there is expensive.
Isso não foi planejado. — That was not planned.
Isto é para você. — This is for you.
Helpful vocabulary to practice with demonstratives
o carro — the car
a bolsa — the bag
o ingresso — the ticket
a chave — the key
o copo — the glass
a mesa — the table
o celular — the cell phone
Mini conversation example
Ana: Esse vestido é novo?
Bruno: Não, este é novo. Aquele ali eu comprei no ano passado.
Translation:
Ana: Is that dress new?
Bruno: No, this one is new. That one over there I bought last year.
Quick reference chart
Singular masculine: este / esse / aquele
Singular feminine: esta / essa / aquela
Plural masculine: estes / esses / aqueles
Plural feminine: estas / essas / aquelas
Neuter: isto / isso / aquilo
Conclusion
Mastering this and that in Brazilian Portuguese gives you a practical tool for everyday conversation, shopping, and asking questions. Focus on agreement, the three distance categories (este, esse, aquele), common contractions with prepositions, and practice with real objects and short dialogues. Consistent, focused practice with the examples in this article will make demonstratives feel natural quickly.
