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Grade 10 · lesson 2 of 4

Point to a Nearby Referent

Este, esta, estos and estas describe a referent near the speaker in the practice convention.

About 20 minutes, plus any extended practice

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Supplied materials

  • Paper or a browser scratch area; no audio recording, account or private information is needed.
  • The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is libro, labeled masculine singular. Complete “___ libro” with the matching near demonstrative. Candidate answers: (A) esta (B) estas (C) este (D) estos.
  • The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is mesa, labeled feminine singular. Complete “___ mesa” with the matching near demonstrative. Candidate answers: (A) esta (B) estas (C) este (D) estos.

Learn the idea

Possessives and demonstratives describe whose object or which nearby referent is meant. Gustar organizes a preference around the thing liked, so its verb number follows that grammatical subject rather than the person experiencing the preference. Este, esta, estos and estas describe a referent near the speaker in the practice convention. Their grammatical gender and number match the following noun; proximity meaning does not cancel agreement.

Read the supplied nearby referent and its explicit gender/number label. Choose the matching este-family form, then keep the noun. Modern ordinary adjective uses of these demonstratives do not carry written accents.

Proximity distinctions depend on a conversational situation; this task explicitly fixes near the speaker. Esto is a neuter pronoun and is not placed before a named noun as this adjective. Do not add another article before este libro.

  1. Copy the supplied example and underline its speaker, noun, time cue or evidence words.
  2. Apply the shown language rule; keep any required ending, accent or paired punctuation.
  3. Solve the changed independent check, then explain why one offered alternative fails.
  4. Complete all three new practice cases and use the model to correct the precise word or meaning.
Worked example

See the method in action

Supplied case: The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is libro, labeled masculine singular. Complete “___ libro” with the matching near demonstrative. Candidate answers: (A) esta (B) estas (C) este (D) estos. Solution: The supplied label masculine singular selects este. The complete phrase is este libro. All four candidate forms express this near-reference family, but only one agrees with this noun. Final result: este. Proximity distinctions depend on a conversational situation; this task explicitly fixes near the speaker. Esto is a neuter pronoun and is not placed before a named noun as this adjective. Do not add another article before este libro.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

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Helpful tips
  • Read the supplied nearby referent and its explicit gender/number label.
  • Proximity distinctions depend on a conversational situation; this task explicitly fixes near the speaker.
The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is mesa, labeled feminine singular. Complete “___ mesa” with the matching near demonstrative.

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

esta

The supplied label feminine singular selects esta. The complete phrase is esta mesa. All four candidate forms express this near-reference family, but only one agrees with this noun.

Take it further

The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is puerta, labeled feminine singular. Complete “___ puerta” with the matching near demonstrative. Candidate answers: (A) esta (B) estas (C) este (D) estos. Expected result: esta. The supplied label feminine singular selects esta. The complete phrase is esta puerta. All four candidate forms express this near-reference family, but only one agrees with this noun.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.

More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is libros, labeled masculine plural. Complete “___ libros” with the matching near demonstrative.
Need a hint?
  • Read the supplied nearby referent and its explicit gender/number label.
  • Proximity distinctions depend on a conversational situation; this task explicitly fixes near the speaker.
2. The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is mesas, labeled feminine plural. Complete “___ mesas” with the matching near demonstrative.
Need a hint?
  • Read the supplied nearby referent and its explicit gender/number label.
  • Proximity distinctions depend on a conversational situation; this task explicitly fixes near the speaker.
3. The object is near the speaker. The supplied noun is mapa, labeled masculine singular. Complete “___ mapa” with the matching near demonstrative.
Need a hint?
  • Read the supplied nearby referent and its explicit gender/number label.
  • Proximity distinctions depend on a conversational situation; this task explicitly fixes near the speaker.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.

Check the subject sources

These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.