aquél

Aquél is a Spanish demonstrative word that can function as both an adjective and a pronoun, used to refer to something or someone that is distant in space, time, or discourse. It is the stressed variant of the base form aquel and is most commonly employed to emphasize the pronoun function or to distinguish it from the determiner in contexts where ambiguity could arise. The feminine and plural forms follow the same pattern, with aquélla and aquéllos/aquéllas serving as stressed pronouns in corresponding gender and number.

In contemporary orthography, forms with an acute accent on the é (aquél, aquélla, aquéllos, aquéllas) are mainly used to indicate that the word is functioning as a pronoun and to prevent confusion with the demonstrative determiner. The unaccented forms (aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas) are standard when the word acts as a demonstrative adjective directly modifying a noun. Modern guidelines recognize that the accent is optional and primarily a matter of style or clarity, not a change in meaning.

Usage notes: aquél often appears in literary or formal writing, where a distinction between the demonstrative adjective and pronoun helps track referents. In everyday speech and most contemporary texts, many writers omit the accent and rely on context to differentiate usage.

See also: Spanish demonstratives, aquel, aquella, aquellos, aquellas, deictic pronouns.