aquel

Aquel is a Spanish demonstrative adjective and pronoun used to indicate a referent distant from both the speaker and the listener. It belongs to a set of distance contrasts that also includes este and ese, with aquel signaling the greatest distance. It can convey physical, temporal, or conceptual remoteness, and is common in descriptive writing, narration, and formal registers.

Forms and usage: As an adjective, its gender and number agree with the noun: masculine singular aquel, feminine singular aquella, masculine plural aquellos, feminine plural aquellas. As a pronoun, it can stand in for a noun: “Aquel fue el ganador” or “Aquellos eran los años difíciles.” It can also appear with prepositions: “de aquel tiempo,” “en aquella época.” In modern orthography, accent marks to distinguish pronoun from determiner are optional and rarely required, depending on style and context.

Relation to other demonstratives: Aquel contrasts with closer forms such as este and ese, which refer to nearer referents. It is often used in literary or formal contexts to evoke distance, memory, or emphasis. The neuter form aquello serves to refer to something undefined or general, such as in “Aquello no me convence.”

Usage notes: Aquel and its variants are widely understood across Spanish-speaking regions, though everyday speech frequently favors ese or este for ordinary references. In writing, aquel can add a sense of distance or antiquity, or function as a pronoun to replace a noun when the noun has been previously established or is easily inferred.