What are the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese?

Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns are words like esse(s)(this, these) and aquele(s)(that, those) in Brazilian Portuguese. They are used to situate or point to a in time and space. For example:

• essa semana

  this week

• aquela cadeira

  that chair

In the examples above, essa and aquela are demonstrative , which means they are used alongside a noun. Demonstrative pronouns, on the other hand, are used to replace a noun. Both demonstrative pronouns and demonstrative adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese in and with the noun they modify or replace.

In this post, we’ll look at the different demonstratives and their forms, their different uses), and other words that can function as demonstratives or appear alongside them. Aren’t you curious to know how demonstratives work? Let’s start!

In Brazilian Portuguese, the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns are:

• este, estes, esta, estas, isto

  this/these (close to the person speaking)

• esse, esses, essa, essas, isso

  that/those (close to the person being spoken to)

• aquele, aqueles, aquela, aquelas, aquilo

  that/those (in some other location)

These words can refer to proximity in space, or proximity in time. For example:

• Este livro é meu.

  This book is mine.

  → space

• Aquela época era boa.

  That time was good.

  → time

They can even refer to proximity in conversation:

But how do you know which form of the demonstrative adjective or pronoun to use? Follow the table below!

As you can see, each demonstrative has both a variable and an invariable form.

• The variable forms agree in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural) with the noun they are referring to. These can be used as pronouns or adjectives.

• The invariable demonstratives do not agree, but they can only be used as pronouns.

We’ll see more about when to use these invariable demonstrative pronouns later in the post!

So now that we know that demonstratives can function as adjectives or pronouns, let’s talk a bit more about when to use each type of demonstrative.

• Este, estes, esta, estas, isto

  These are called “first-person forms” because they indicate proximity to the speaker (or writer), as in:

  Esta mulher ao meu lado é minha esposa.

  This woman beside me is my wife.

  In this example, I am using the demonstrative esta(this) because I am referring to a mulher(woman) who is close to me in space. In addition to space, these demonstratives can also indicate the present time in relation to the speaker or writer.

  Estou sempre animado nestas primeiras horas do dia.

  I am always excited in these early hours of the day.

  → nestas = em(in) + estas(these)

• Esse, esses, essa, essas, isso

  These are called “second-person forms” because they indicate proximity in space to the person to whom one speaks or writes (the “addressee”).

  Essa blusa na sua mão é minha ou sua?

  Is that shirt in your hand mine or yours?

  These forms can also indicate a past or future time in relation to the time in which the speaker is placed.

  • Passei essa noite inteira acordado.

    I spent that whole night awake.

  • Esse ano faremos tudo diferente.

    This year we will do everything differently.

  Tip

  In informal spoken or written language, it is common to see the first-person (este, estes, esta, estas, isto) and second-person forms (esse, esses, essa, essas, isso) of the demonstratives being used interchangeably.

• Aquele, aqueles, aquela, aquelas, aquilo

  These are called the “third-person forms” because they mark a position close to the person being spoken of or a position distant from where the conversation is taking place.

  Aqueles dois rapazes são vizinhos.

  Those two boys are neighbors.

  These forms can also be used to refer to a remote time.

  Naquele tempo, eu costumava nadar toda a semana.

  At that time, I used to swim every day.

  → naquele = em(at) + aquele(that)

• Isto, isso, aquilo

  In terms of meaning, isto is a first-person form (close to speaker), isso is a second-person form (close to addressee), while aquillo is a third-person form (distant). But these forms are different because they can only be pronouns and they do not change their forms.

  Invariable demonstratives are generally used to talk about something you don’t know the name of (and therefore, you don’t know if the word is masculine or feminine, plural or singular), refer more directly to something, or to talk about ideas and situations in an abstract form.

  • Eu achei isso na rua.

    I found this in the street.

    → unknown item: close to me

  • Isto é meu.

    This is mine.

    → pointing to an item: not in reach

  • Não consegui compreender aquilo.

    I could not comprehend that.

    → abstract idea

There are a handful of words that can be used instead of este, esse, aquele and their variants to function as demonstratives:

• Definite articles o, a, os, as(the)

  The definite articles o, a, os, as(the) work as demonstratives when they are placed before the relative pronouns que(that, what) and qual(which). In this case, the definite article is used instead of the demonstratives aquele(s), aquela(s), aquilo(that/those).

  • Eu adoro o que eles fazem.

    I love what they do.

  • Eu adoro aquilo que eles fazem.

    I love that thing they do.

• Mesmo and próprio

  The words mesmo(s), mesma(s)(-self) and próprio(s), própria(s)(-self) can also work as demonstratives. In this case, mesmo and próprio are not replacing an existing demonstrative as much as having a demonstrative function in the sentence.

  • Ela mesma resolveu o assunto.

    She solved the matter herself.

  • Foram os próprios jogadores que organizaram o jogo.

    It was the players themselves who organized the game.

  Though, in English, we use a to create this sort of meaning (“herself,” “themselves”), the meaning is really to reinforce or point to the specific subject, which is a job generally performed by a demonstrative.

  Notice the position of these words in relation to the personal pronoun or noun they are referring to:

  • mesma is placed after the subject pronoun ela to create the meaning of “she (herself)”

  • próprios is placed before the subject pronoun jogadores to mean “the players themselves”

  Also, these words agree in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular and plural) with the pronouns/nouns they are referring to.

• Tal and semelhante

  The words tal, tais(such) and semelhante(s)(similar) can function as demonstratives when they refer to a noun that was previously mentioned. Here, a demonstrative could also work in place oftal or semelhante.

  • Não utilize semelhante exemplo. (aquele exemplo)

    Do not use a similar example. (that example)

  • Devemos rever nossas atitudes em tais circunstâncias. (nessas circunstâncias)

    We must review our attitudes in such circumstances. (in these circumstances)

Adverbs of place and words like mesmo/próprio(same) and outro(other) are frequently used alongside demonstratives in Brazilian Portuguese. These accompanying words reinforce the meanings of the demonstratives and help to situate something or someone in space.

• Adverbs of place

  Some adverbs of place can be used together with demonstratives in order to make clear where something or someone is: aqui(here), aí(over there), ali(there), lá(there).

  Isto aqui não é meu.

  This (thing) here is not mine.

  Each adverb of place can be used with a specific demonstrative pronoun, as the table below shows.

  Demonstrative	Adverb of Space
  este, estes, esta, estas, isto	aqui here → pointing to somebody or something close to the person speaking
  esse, esses, essa, essas, isso	aí there → pointing to somebody or something close to the person being spoken to
  aquele, aqueles, aquela, aquelas, aquilo	ali, lá there → pointing to somebody or something close to the person being spoken of

• Other words

  Some other words, such as mesmo/próprio(same), outro(other), and their variations, can also be used together with demonstrative pronouns to emphasize their meanings.

  Speaker A:

  Você quer que eu pegue essa mochila?

  Do you want me to take this backpack?

  Speaker B:

  Sim, esta mesma/própria.

  Yes, this one.

  Earlier, we saw that mesmo/próprio and their variants can be used alone to function as demonstratives in order to emphasize personal pronouns or nouns in the sentence. Here, these same words are used alongside demonstrative pronouns (esta mesma/esta própria) to emphasize the demonstrative pronoun instead.

In this post, we talked about the demonstratives in Brazilian Portuguese, their definitions, and how to use them. Take a look at the table below for a review.

We also saw that some words can be used as demonstratives in certain situations: o, a, os, as(the) and mesmo/próprio(-self). In this case, these words situate something or somebody in time and space, just as demonstratives do:

Finally, we saw certain words that often accompany demonstratives, such as aqui, aí, ali(here, there), mesmo/próprio(same), and outro(other), which are used to reinforce the meanings of the demonstratives.

Are you ready now to practice using demonstratives in Brazilian Portuguese?