In the previous lessons of this unit, you learned about variable demonstratives, which change depending on the gender and number of the objects(s) they describe.
Here’s some good news for you: invariable demonstrative pronouns are much easier to learn, because as you can see below, there are only 3 of them. You still have to consider the position of the object(s), but not the number or gender.
| Relative Position | Invariable Demonstrative Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Near the speaker: | istothis |
| Near the listener: | issothat |
| Far from both: | aquilothat |
Even though these pronouns also translate to this and that in English, their meaning and usage is slightly different.
You can think of these invariable pronouns as being more impersonal than their variable counterparts.
How Do You Know When to Use Invariable vs. Variable?
Although we’re usually told to avoid thinking in English, here’s a trick:
If you’re in a situation where, in English, you would be required to mention the noun or replace it with the word “one” (for example, “this flavour” or “that one“, instead of just “this” or “that”), then you should use a variable demonstrative in Portuguese. (In these cases, you likely already know what the object is, so you are able to show it the respect it deserves by recognizing its gender and quantity! 🙃).
Queres levar este casaco?Do you want to take this jacket?
Vou levar esse (casaco) I'm taking that one (jacket)
On the other hand, if adding “one” to the sentence or mentioning the noun itself would sound awkward, then you should use an invariable demonstrative instead.
Vais levar isso?Are you taking that?
Vou ver o que isto éI'm going to see what this is
Furthermore, if you can refer to the object(s) as simply this or that alone, then an invariable demonstrative will probably sound right.
Can’t I Just Be Lazy and Always Use Invariable?
This can be tempting, especially if you are not used to speaking languages that assign genders to objects. It seems like it would be less mental effort, right? When learning a language, we all find ways to cheat a little bit, especially early on.
But if your goal is to get your Portuguese sounding as native as possible, using invariable pronouns all the time can almost make it sound like you’re trying to detach or distance yourself from the object.
Plus, using the variable type when possible is helpful, because they do a better job of clarifying what it is that we’re referring to.
What Sets Invariable Demonstratives Apart?
- Remember above when we mentioned that these should be thought of as impersonal? Building on this idea, you should never use them to refer to people.
- Invariable demonstratives can be used to talk about thoughts or situations in more abstract terms:
Isto é muito estranho.This is very strange.
Isso é fascinante!That is fascinating!
- We also use invariable demonstratives when we are exposed to something unknown. Since you don’t know what it is, you can’t really assign a gender and quantity!
O que é aquilo?What is that (far away) ?
Sometimes, Either Option Will Work
Like variable demonstratives, invariable demonstratives can also be used to replace a recently mentioned or otherwise well identified object (for example, by pointing directly to it):
Esta máquina parece complexa. Como é que isto funciona?This machine seems complex. How does this work?
This is an example of when the invariable type can be interchangeable with the variable type.
Overwhelmed?
This can all be very daunting to get a handle on, since it seems like a lot of rules to remember. But as long as you have a general idea of the guidelines, you’ll start to notice them more and more in daily conversation and be able to follow the lead of native European Portuguese speakers.
Boa sorte com isto!Good luck with this!
This whole section is the first time I’ve started to feel scared! But I love the clear way you explain it all, not to mention the friendly reassurance!
Esta máquina parece complexa. Como é que isto funciona?
Is it possible to replace isto with ela? e.g. Como é que ela funciona?
Thanks
Yes, you can use both “isto” and “ela” in this sentence, Kathy 🙂
This has been very clearly explained. Thanks !
Glad to read that, thanks for the feedback 🙂
Very interesting and very useful section. Also very clearly explained, if just a little daunting! Im still trying to get my head completely around it, but will get there! Almost like having your very own personal tutor!
Exactly, we don’t have to think about all these variables in English! But you’re right, you’ll get there. I think a simple way to sum it up as you get started is that (generally) the invariable demonstratives are used to say just “this” or “that”, whereas the variable demonstratives are used to say “this (thing)”, “that (one)”, “those (things)”, etc. Aquilo starts with a, so you can remember to use aquilo for something far away.
Thanks for that Molly,very helpful, and thanks to all you guys for your assistance. I now realise my folly in buying a book of 501 Portuguese Verbs, a large dictionary and thinking I could teach myself Portuguese! You have all been so helpful
Thanks a lot, really well explained and useful, I found your website recently because i move to Porto some month ago and i start to learn Portuguese language as well.
regarding last sentence “Boa sorte com isto!” is it correct if i say “Boa sorte com isso!” or it’s not common!
Thank you too for your comment! Also, both sentences (boa sorte com isto/boa sorte com isso) are absolutely fine, keeping in mind that isto = this and isso = that 🙂
Molly’s answer is extremely helpful. Its simplicity makes it possible to at least make a sentence, even if it doesn’t come out perfect. To try to run though this list of options while conversing would stop a conversation for beginners.
Just used Google translate before this lesson and they ,obviously incorrectly, translate the phrase “What is this?” as “o que é isso”. Guess this is hard even for computers! lol
Olá! Google Translate often shows you Brazilian Portuguese translations, not necessarily European Portuguese, which can make things more confusing. I think that was the case with this phrase. In Brazil, “este” and “isto” are not as commonly used as in Portugal 🙂
So in that sentence, could you use isto, ela, or esta interchangeably? Or would it sound odd or redundant to use esta again, or wrong for any other reason?
Esta máquina parece complexa. Como é que esta funciona?
The example sentences within the text that come right after explaining the rule definitely help me absorb the explanations of grammar as I go. I confess I was wishing for a few examples within the “how do I know which to use” paragraph above. I’m sure I’ll figure it out in the lessons though!
Olá! Yes; grammatically speaking, all three could work. In terms of what we’d actually say, here’s what I think, from most to least likely:
1) No pronouns (omission): “Esta máquina parece complexa. Como é que funciona?” -> Because the first sentence already makes it clear what we’re talking about, so pronouns are rather redundant.
2) Ela or isto: “Esta máquina parece complexa. Como é que ela/isto funciona?” -> If we were to use pronouns, either of these would be fine, to avoid the needless repetition of “esta”.
3) Esta: “Esta máquina parece complexa. Como é que esta funciona?” -> We probably wouldn’t say this, it sounds a bit awkward. But if we were talking about two different machines, it would seem normal to use “esta” twice. For example, “Esta máquina parece complexa. E esta, como é que funciona?” (“This machine seems complex. What about this [other] one, how does it work?”). I imagine the speaker pointing at two different machines as they talk.
By the way, following your feedback, we’re going to add more examples explaining how to choose between all these options 🙂
Ah, excellent explanation, thank you. Oh, Viva! I’m bookmarking to come back for the examples!
Very nicely explained, thank you !
greetings from Porto
Cool! Not difficult for me 🙂 As in Russian we have all the same demonstratives. It’s actually easier to know for me which one exactly I have to use if I will think of a sentence in Russian 🙂
Until this become second nature, I’ve been applying a reverse logic to help me recall on whether to use Este/Esta or Essa/Esse, and whether to use Isto or Isso.
Others may find this reverse logic useful (or perhaps not all!)
Anyway, for both invariable & variable determines:
If it is NOT close to the Speaker, then use the word with the extra ‘S’ (S for Speaker) i.e. Esse/Essa instead of Este/Esta & Isso instead of Isto
Of course, would work much better if it were extra S for Speaker = Close to Speaker, but S for Speaker = NOT Close to Speaker works for me.
When isso and aquilo are used abstractly, do they mean the same thing, or is there a subtle difference? E.g. That (idea or situation) is fascinating: “Isso é fascinante” vs “Aquilo é fascinante”
They don’t mean the same, because you still have to consider the relative positions/distance implied with each one. “Aquilo” is distant from both the speaker and the listener, while “isso” implies promixity to the listener. In an abstract context, these nuances can be hard to tell apart, but natives/fluent speakers work with them subconsciously. For example:
– Person A: Visitei a Ásia no mês passado. Aquilo é lindo! (I visited Asia last month. It’s beautiful!) -> “Aquilo” as in Asia, which is physically distant from both.
– Person B: A sério? Isso é muito interessante! (Really? That’s very interesting!) -> “Isso” as in “Your story/experience”, which relates directly to person A and has no connection to person B.
How does isso/esse work if there are many listeners? Does the object need to be close to all of them or just one?
It may depend on the situation and object, I guess! However, I’d say that it would default to “aquilo”/”aquele” if most of the listeners were far from the object.:)
“Can’t I Just Be Lazy and Always Use Invariable?” I was hoping you’d just say yes to that!
If I were in a shop and I’m just pointing to something that hasn’t been referred to before and I want to ask how much it is, would it be most common to just say “Quanto custa isto?”.
If something hasn’t been mentioned before, I guess you also have the complication that different people may think of it in different ways and therefore the gender may be unclear. For example, if I want to buy a jacket I may be thinking of it as ‘a jaqueta’ or ‘o casaco’. In which case, presumably I might say ‘Quanto custa este?’, ‘Quanto custa esta?’ or ‘Quanto custa isto?’ depending on how I am thinking about it. For this reason, if it hasn’t been referred to previously does ‘Quanto custa isto?’ work best, whereas if I had been talking to the shop assistant previously about ‘os casacos’ and I wanted to ask what this particular one cost, I would say ‘Quanto custa este?’. Does that sound reasonable?
Olá! Haha, I know – if we could just stick to invariable demonstratives all the time, many peoples’ lives would surely get a bit easier 🙂
Yes, it’s perfectly fine to ask “Quanto custa isto?” or “Quanto é que isto custa?”. It sounds as natural as asking “Quanto custa este casaco?” — note that, if not mentioned already, we don’t usually omit the noun at hand.