aquesta

Aquesta is the feminine singular demonstrative determiner and pronoun in the Catalan language, used to indicate a noun that is close in space or in discourse. It corresponds to the English "this" and can modify a feminine noun or stand in for one when the noun has been previously mentioned.

Morphology and agreement: Catalan marks gender and number on demonstratives. The standard forms are aquest (masculine singular), aquesta (feminine singular), aquests (masculine plural), and aquestes (feminine plural). Aquesta agrees with the noun in gender and number and can function either as a determiner before a noun (aquesta casa) or as a pronoun on its own (Aquesta és la meva; this one is mine).

Usage notes: Before a feminine noun, aquesta accompanies the noun directly as a determiner; as a pronoun, it can stand in for a feminine noun already identified in the conversation. In both roles, feminine singular aquesta is the form used. Regional pronunciation and usage are broadly consistent across Catalan-speaking areas, including Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands, with minor dialectal variations.

Etymology: Aquesta derives from Latin haec through the historical development of Catalan demonstratives, sharing cognates with other Romance languages (for example, Italian questa, Spanish esta). The feminine form reflects standard Romance gender agreement patterns.

See also: Catalan grammar, demonstratives, pronouns.