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[ARCHIVE] ESSE vs ESTE

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EranBarLev
Israel

[ARCHIVE] ESSE vs ESTE

Post by EranBarLev »

Original post by HelpfulDuo | Archived post

If you are new to Portuguese, you may wonder what's the difference between the pronouns esse/essa and este/esta. In truth, even native speakers of the language often confuse these pronouns and use them interchangeably.

So let's take a closer look at them:

male
pronoun
female
pronoun
useexample
esteestaused to
designate
someone /
something
that is near
the speaker
Este é o meu lápis favorito.
This is my favorite pencil.
esseessaused to
designate
someone /
something
that is near the
person being
spoken to
Onde você achou esse lápis?
Where did you find that pencil?

NOTE: If the object is NOT near the speaker nor the listener, then the pronoun used is aquele/aquela.

The table above sums up the majority of the situations in which you'll have to choose between using este/esta or esse/essa. However, depending on the context, these other rules may also apply:

contextpronounsuseexample
in discourseeste / estaused to
refer to
what will be
mentioned after
Estes são os nossos valores:
persistência e trabalho duro.
These are our values:
persistence and hard work.
in discourseesse / essaused to
refer to
what was
previously
mentioned
Persistência e trabalho duro;
esses são os nossos valores.
Persistence and hard work;
these are our values.
referring to
point in time
este / estaused when
referring to
a moment
in the present
Este é o momento certo
para investir na empresa.
This is the right moment
to invest in the company.
referring to
point in time
este / estaused when
referring to
a moment
in the past
or future
Essa⁺⁺ foi a melhor fase
da minha vida.
That was the best phase
of my life.

⁺⁺The pronoun aquele/aquela can also be used here, particularly when referring to a distant past.

NOTE: Be careful not to confuse the female pronoun esta with está, which is the present simple form of the verb estar (to be — i.e.: Meu pé está doendo [My foot is hurting]).

Practice your Portuguese!

Fill in the blanks with este(s), esta(s), esse(s), or essa(s) and share your answers in the comments section.

1) Quem te deu ___ caneta? (Who gave you that pen?)

2) Não sei onde colocar ___ mala pesada. (I don't know where to put this heavy bag.)

3) ___ seus olhos são tão lindos! (Those eyes of yours are so beautiful!)

4) Quebrei ___ dedo jogando basquete. (I broke this finger playing basketball.)

🇮🇱N 🇬🇧C1 🇪🇸B2 🇵🇹B1 🇫🇷B1 🇸🇦A1 🇷🇺A1

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