Spanish · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 13
¿Qué es esto?What is this?
To ask about a thing without naming it, use "qué" with the neutral demonstrative: ¿Qué es esto? ¿Qué es eso? "esto" (near) and "eso" (far) are neutral — they have no gender, because you don't yet know what the thing is. Once identified, gender returns: Es un reloj. Es una puerta. Objects: reloj, paraguas, ropa, zapato, agua, puerta, ventana, ordenador, dinero, papel.
Dialogue
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¿Este o esto?— este or esto?
- MikeCarlos, ¿qué es este?Carlos, what's this? (slip: for an unidentified thing use neutral "esto", not gendered "este")
- CarlosSi no sabes qué es, di "esto": ¿Qué es esto?If you don't know what it is, say "esto": ¿Qué es esto?
- MikeVale. ¿Qué es esto?Okay. What is this?
- CarlosEs un paraguas. Y eso es un reloj.It's an umbrella. And that's a clock.
Dialogue
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En la mochila— In the Backpack
- LucíaMike, ¿qué es eso?Mike, what's that?
- MikeEs un ordenador. Y esto es papel.It's a computer. And this is paper.
- Lucía¿Y tienes agua?And do you have water?
- MikeSí, tengo agua, dinero y dos zapatos.Yes, I have water, money and two shoes.
Vocabulary
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- esto
pronounthis (neutral)
- eso
pronounthat (neutral)
- reloj
n.m.clock, watch (m)
- paraguas
n.m.umbrella (m)
- ropa
n.f.clothes (f)
- zapato
n.m.shoe (m)
- agua
n.f.water (f)
- puerta
n.f.door (f)
- ventana
n.f.window (f)
- ordenador
n.m.computer (m)
- dinero
n.m.money (m)
- papel
n.m.paper (m)
Grammar
i
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"qué" and neutral esto/eso
Explanation
"qué" = "what". To ask about a thing you can't yet name, combine it with the neutral demonstrative: ¿Qué es esto? (near) or ¿Qué es eso? (far). "esto" and "eso" end in -o but are NOT masculine: they are neutral, genderless, precisely because the thing isn't identified yet. As soon as you know what it is, you use normal gender: Es un reloj (m), Es una puerta (f). Don't confuse "qué" (what) with "cuál" (which): ¿Qué es esto? asks for identity; ¿Cuál es tu libro? picks among options.
Examples
- ¿Qué es esto? — Es un reloj.What's this? — It's a watch.
- ¿Qué es eso? — Es una puerta.What's that? — It's a door.
- Esto es agua y eso es papel.This is water and that is paper.
- ¿Cuál es tu ordenador? — Ese.Which is your computer? — That one.
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