ëse

ése is a masculine demonstrative pronoun in Spanish, meaning "that one" and used to refer to a masculine noun already mentioned or understood from context. It functions as a substitute for a noun rather than as a determiner. The feminine and plural forms exist in parallel grammar: ésa, ése, ésos, ésas, though many speakers use the unaccented counterparts ese, esa, esos, esas in modern writing. Examples: “¿Qué libro quieres, éste o ése?” or “Quiero ése.” or “Le dio el libro a ése.”

Orthography and usage notes

Historically, accented forms such as ése and ésta were used to distinguish pronouns from demonstrative adjectives (ese, esta). Since the late 20th century, the use of diacritics is optional. The Royal Spanish Academy states that the accent marks can help avoid ambiguity, but they are not mandatory, and many texts use the unaccented forms for both pronouns and adjectives depending on the context.

Usage in contemporary writing

In everyday language, unaccented forms (ese, esa, esos, esas) are commonly used for both adjective and pronoun functions. The accented forms persist mainly in formal writing, literature, or to emphasize contrast or refer back to a clearly identified antecedent. When clarity is needed, especially in long or complex sentences, accent-marked forms may be preferred to indicate pronoun use.

See also

ese, esa, éste, aquella, pronouns in Spanish grammar.