aquello

Aquello is a neuter demonstrative pronoun in Spanish used to refer to something distant in space, time, or conceptual distance. It functions as a substitute for a noun phrase or a clause and is not used as a modifier of a noun.

In practice, aquel or esa forms mark gender and proximity, while aquello serves as the neutral, abstract, or far-off reference. It often appears with verbs like ser, estar, parecer, or in relative clauses without an explicit noun: “Aquello fue un error,” “Aquello que me dijiste no tiene sentido,” or “No quiero recordar aquello.” It can introduce a subordinate clause through phrases such as “aquello que…” to point to a previously mentioned idea or situation.

Aquello contrasts with eso and esto. Esto refers to something close to the speaker, eso to something not very close or previously mentioned, and aquello to something more distant or more abstract. Because it is neuter, there is no plural neuter form of aquél; when referring to multiple items or a group, speakers generally use a noun phrase or the plural demonstratives that agree in gender and number (aquellos, aquellas) or rephrase as esas cosas, those things.

Etymologically, aquelo derives from the demonstrative adjective aquel with the neuter suffix -lo, forming a standalone pronoun. It has been part of the Spanish repertoire since medieval times and remains common in everyday speech, literature, and formal writing to signal a distant or indistinct reference.

See also: esto, eso, aquel, demonstratives in Spanish, relative clauses.