This page in your language

فارسی

العربية

Deutsch

Español

Français

日本語

한국어

Português

中文

हिन्दी

A1 determiner #850 most common 8 min read

essas

Top 850

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips essas in 30 Seconds

Explanation essas in your Level:

At the A1 level, you learn 'essas' as a basic way to point to things. It simply means 'those' for feminine plural words. You use it when you are talking to someone and want to mention something they are holding or something near them. For example, if your friend has some pens, you say 'essas canetas'. It is important to remember that it must be used with feminine words like 'casas' (houses), 'frutas' (fruits), or 'mochilas' (backpacks). You also learn the basic contraction 'nessas' (in those) and 'dessas' (of those). The main goal at this level is to recognize that 'essas' is different from 'esses' (masculine) and to use it for things near the person you are talking to.

At the A2 level, you start using 'essas' more naturally in daily conversations, such as shopping or giving directions. You understand the difference between 'estas' (near me), 'essas' (near you), and 'aquelas' (far from both). You can use 'essas' to refer to things mentioned in a conversation. For example, if someone says 'I have many ideas', you can respond 'Essas ideias são boas'. You also become more comfortable with contractions like 'dessas' and 'nessas' in sentences like 'Eu gosto dessas flores' (I like those flowers). You begin to notice that in Brazil, people often use 'essas' even for things near themselves, but you try to follow the standard rules for clarity.

At the B1 level, you use 'essas' for more abstract concepts. It's not just about physical objects anymore; it's about 'essas situações' (those situations) or 'essas condições' (those conditions) that someone else just described. You use 'essas' as a cohesive device in writing to link sentences together. You understand that 'essas' refers back to something the listener knows or has just said. You are also able to use 'essas' in more complex grammatical structures, such as with relative clauses: 'Essas mulheres que você viu são minhas tias' (Those women that you saw are my aunts). Your pronunciation becomes more fluid, handling the double 's' sound correctly.

At the B2 level, you master the nuances of 'essas' in different registers. You can distinguish between the informal Brazilian usage (where 'essas' often replaces 'estas') and the formal European or academic usage. You use 'essas' effectively in arguments to refer to your opponent's points ('Essas suas afirmações não têm base'). You also use the word in idiomatic expressions and common collocations like 'essas alturas' (at this stage/point). You are fully aware of the 'anaphoric' role of 'essas' in text—referring to something already mentioned—and you use it to create professional and well-structured paragraphs.

At the C1 level, you use 'essas' with stylistic precision. You understand how demonstratives can convey emotional distance or sarcasm. For instance, using 'essas' to refer to someone's behavior can imply a slight judgment or familiarity. You are comfortable with the word in literary contexts, where it might be used to ground a narrative in the listener's perspective. You also handle complex contractions and archaic or highly formal alternatives like 'tais' or 'referidas' with ease, knowing exactly when 'essas' is too informal and when it is the perfect choice for clarity and flow in a sophisticated discourse.

At the C2 level, your use of 'essas' is indistinguishable from a native speaker's. You navigate the subtle regional differences between Portugal, Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique effortlessly. You understand the historical evolution of the word from Latin and how that affects its modern usage. You can use 'essas' in high-level academic writing, legal documents, or poetic works, utilizing its full range of spatial, temporal, and emotional meanings. You can explain the 'demonstrative system' to others and use 'essas' to manipulate the focus of a conversation or text with complete control and nuance.

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips

essas in 30 Seconds

Essas is the feminine plural form of 'those', specifically for things near the person you are speaking to.
It must always match the gender (feminine) and number (plural) of the noun it describes, like 'essas casas'.
Common contractions include 'dessas' (de + essas) and 'nessas' (em + essas), which are mandatory in natural speech.
In Brazil, it is often used colloquially for 'these' (near the speaker), but formally it belongs to the listener's space.

The Portuguese word essas is a demonstrative determiner and pronoun that translates to 'those' in English, specifically referring to feminine plural nouns. However, its usage is more precise than the English 'those'. In the tripartite system of Portuguese demonstratives, essas is used to indicate objects or people that are physically near the person being spoken to (the listener) or related to the listener's context. This distinction is crucial for English speakers to master, as English often collapses the distance between 'near the listener' and 'far from both' into a single word.

Spatial Relation: Refers to items near the second person (you). If you are talking to someone holding a pair of shoes, you would refer to them as essas sapatilhas.

Onde você comprou essas flores que estão na sua mão?

Translation: Where did you buy those flowers that are in your hand?

Beyond physical space, essas is also used in a temporal sense to refer to a time period relatively close to the present or mentioned by the interlocutor. In Brazilian Portuguese, there is a strong colloquial tendency to use esse/essa/essas even for things near the speaker, effectively replacing este/esta/estas. However, in formal writing and European Portuguese, the distinction remains sharp. Understanding this word requires an awareness of gender agreement; because it is the feminine plural form, it must always accompany or replace nouns that are grammatically feminine and plural, such as casas (houses), meninas (girls), or ideias (ideas).

Grammatical Agreement: Must match feminine plural nouns. Example: essas canetas (those pens), never essas livros.

Eu não conheço essas mulheres que estão conversando com você.

In discourse, essas serves an anaphoric function, meaning it refers back to something previously mentioned by the person you are talking to. If your friend mentions some difficult tasks, you might respond with, "Essas tarefas parecem complicadas" (Those tasks seem complicated). This usage reinforces the connection between the word and the listener's sphere of influence or conversation.

Using essas correctly involves two main steps: identifying the gender/number of the noun and determining the spatial or conversational distance. Because Portuguese is a highly inflected language, essas must perfectly align with the feminine plural noun it modifies. If the noun is masculine plural, you must use esses. If it is feminine singular, use essa.

Noun Placement: Usually precedes the noun: essas chaves. It can also stand alone as a pronoun: Quais você quer? Essas. (Which ones do you want? Those.)

Por favor, me passe essas ferramentas que estão ao seu lado.

One of the most common ways to use essas is in combination with prepositions. When combined with de (of/from), it becomes dessas. When combined with em (in/on), it becomes nessas. These contractions are mandatory in both spoken and written Portuguese. For example, instead of saying 'em essas', you must say nessas caixas (in those boxes).

Contractions: De + essas = dessas. Em + essas = nessas. Example: Eu gosto dessas cores (I like those colors).

Nós não devemos mexer nessas configurações sem autorização.

When using essas as a pronoun, it replaces the noun entirely to avoid repetition. If someone asks, "Are these your magazines?" pointing to magazines near you, you might answer, "Sim, essas são minhas" (Yes, those are mine). This demonstrates the word's versatility in maintaining the flow of conversation while providing clear spatial references.

In everyday life, essas is ubiquitous. You will hear it in markets, homes, and offices. Because it relates to the listener's space, it is the primary word used when asking for something or commenting on something the other person possesses or is near. In a shopping context, a salesperson might say, "Essas roupas ficam muito bem em você" (Those clothes look very good on you), referring to the clothes the customer is holding or trying on.

Shopping & Retail: Used to identify products near the customer. "Essas maçãs estão frescas" (Those apples are fresh).

Você pode me dar essas sacolas que estão aí no chão?

In social media and digital communication, essas is used to refer to photos or ideas posted by others. If a friend posts a series of photos from a trip, you might comment, "Essas fotos estão incríveis!" (Those photos are incredible!). Here, the 'distance' is metaphorical—the photos belong to the friend's digital space. In Brazilian media, you'll notice that news anchors use essas to refer to news items just discussed or items relevant to the audience's current reality.

Professional Settings: Used to refer to documents or data the colleague is presenting. "Essas planilhas precisam de revisão".

De quem são essas pastas que você trouxe para a reunião?

In literature and music, essas often carries an emotional weight. It can imply a sense of shared experience or, conversely, a distance from the speaker's current state. In the famous Bossa Nova songs, you might hear references to essas águas or essas saudades, where the word anchors the emotion to a specific, recognized context that the listener is expected to understand.

The most frequent mistake for English speakers is failing to distinguish between estas, essas, and aquelas. Since English uses 'those' for everything not near the speaker, learners often use aquelas when they should use essas. Remember: if it is near the person you are talking to, essas is the only correct choice. Using aquelas would imply the objects are far from both of you, which can cause confusion or sound unnatural.

Gender Mismatch: Using essas with masculine nouns. Incorrect: essas carros. Correct: esses carros.

Errado: Essas problemas são difíceis. (Problema is masculine!)

Another common error is forgetting the contractions. Learners often say 'de essas' or 'em essas'. While understandable, it sounds very foreign. Native speakers always contract these to dessas and nessas. Additionally, learners sometimes confuse essas with the pronoun elas (they). While elas is a personal pronoun, essas is a demonstrative; elas refers to the entities themselves, while essas points to them in space.

Distance Confusion: Using essas for things far away from everyone. Use aquelas for distant objects.

Correto: Aquelas montanhas lá longe são lindas. (Not 'essas' if they are far away).

Finally, be careful with the 'near the listener' rule in formal writing. In a formal essay, essas should refer to the idea immediately preceding the current sentence in the text. If you use estas, you are referring to the idea you are about to introduce. Mixing these up can make a formal argument difficult to follow for a native reader.

While essas is the standard demonstrative for feminine plural items near the listener, there are several alternatives depending on the register and context. In very formal or legal writing, you might see tais (such) or referidas (referred). These words serve to point back to something without the spatial connotation of essas.

Essas vs. Estas: Estas: Near the speaker (1st person). Essas: Near the listener (2nd person).
Essas vs. Aquelas: Essas: Near the listener. Aquelas: Far from both speaker and listener (3rd person).

Não quero estas que estão comigo, prefiro essas que você tem.

In colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, the distinction between estas and essas has largely vanished in favor of essas. Therefore, you will often hear someone say "Essas chaves aqui" (These keys here), which is technically incorrect in formal grammar but standard in daily speech. To be more precise or emphatic, speakers might add adverbs like aí (there, near you) or ali (over there). For example: "Essas canetas aí" makes it crystal clear you are talking about the pens near the other person.

Formal Alternatives: Tais: Used for 'such'. "Tais medidas..." (Such measures...). As mencionadas: The mentioned ones.

Tais circunstâncias exigem cautela. (More formal than 'essas').

Another alternative is the use of the definite article as when the context is already very clear. Instead of "Passe-me essas chaves", one might simply say "Passe-me as chaves" if there is only one set of keys in sight. However, essas adds a layer of demonstrative specificity that the simple article lacks, especially when choosing between multiple groups of items.

How Formal Is It?

Fun Fact

The Portuguese demonstrative system is one of the few Romance systems that strictly preserved the three-way distance distinction (this/that/that yonder) from Latin, although colloquial Brazilian is currently simplifying it.

Pronunciation Guide

UK /ˈɛ.sɐʃ/

US /ˈɛ.sɐs/

The stress is on the first syllable: ES-sas.

Rhymes With

peças pressas messas promessas travessas remessas expressas impressas

Common Errors

Pronouncing the 'e' as a closed sound (like 'ey' in 'they'). It should be open.
Pronouncing the 'ss' as a 'z' sound. It is always a voiceless 's'.
Mixing up the final 's' sound between Brazilian (s) and European (sh) styles.
Adding an extra vowel sound at the end.
Stress on the second syllable.

Difficulty Rating

Reading 1/5

Very easy to recognize in text as 'those'.

Writing 3/5

Requires remembering gender agreement and contractions.

Speaking 3/5

Requires quick spatial judgment (near listener vs near speaker).

Listening 2/5

Clear pronunciation, but can be confused with 'estas' in fast speech.

What to Learn Next

Prerequisites

essa as uma de em

Learn Next

esses estas aquelas disto disso

Advanced

outrossim destarte tais referidas supracitadas

Grammar to Know

Gender and Number Agreement

Essas (fem. pl.) + casas (fem. pl.)

Demonstrative Contractions

de + essas = dessas; em + essas = nessas

Spatial Tripartite System

Este (1st), Esse (2nd), Aquele (3rd)

Anaphoric Reference

Using 'essas' to refer to a previously mentioned topic.

Pronoun vs Determiner

Essas canetas (determiner) vs. Eu quero essas (pronoun).

Examples by Level

Essas canetas são azuis.

Those pens (near you) are blue.

Feminine plural agreement with 'canetas'.

Eu quero essas maçãs.

I want those apples (near you).

Direct object usage.

De quem são essas chaves?

Whose are those keys (near you)?

Interrogative sentence.

Essas flores são lindas.

Those flowers (near you) are beautiful.

Adjective agreement 'lindas'.

Você gosta dessas fotos?

Do you like those photos (near you/in your hand)?

Contraction 'de + essas'.

Onde estão essas meninas?

Where are those girls (near you)?

Plural noun 'meninas'.

Passe-me essas xícaras, por favor.

Pass me those cups, please.

Imperative 'passe-me'.

Essas são as minhas irmãs.

Those are my sisters.

Pronoun usage.

Eu não conheço essas ruas.

I don't know those streets (in this area near you).

Negative sentence.

Você viu essas notícias hoje?

Did you see those news (items) today?

Abstract usage for 'news'.

Nessas caixas há muitos livros.

In those boxes there are many books.

Contraction 'em + essas'.

Essas roupas são muito caras.

Those clothes are very expensive.

Subject of the sentence.

Eu preciso dessas ferramentas agora.

I need those tools now.

Verb 'precisar' requires 'de'.

Essas perguntas são fáceis.

Those questions are easy.

Adjective agreement 'fáceis'.

O que tem nessas garrafas?

What is in those bottles?

Interrogative with contraction.

Essas janelas estão abertas.

Those windows are open.

State of being with 'estar'.

Essas ideias que você teve são brilhantes.

Those ideas you had are brilliant.

Relative clause 'que você teve'.

Não entendo essas mudanças na empresa.

I don't understand those changes in the company.

Abstract plural noun.

Essas pessoas parecem estar com pressa.

Those people seem to be in a hurry.

Verb 'parecer'.

Gosto da cor dessas paredes.

I like the color of those walls.

Genitive case with 'dessas'.

Essas medidas vão ajudar a economia.

Those measures will help the economy.

Future tense 'vão ajudar'.

Você já leu essas revistas?

Have you already read those magazines?

Present perfect context.

Nessas situações, é melhor ter calma.

In those situations, it's better to be calm.

Adverbial phrase.

Essas músicas me lembram da infância.

Those songs remind me of childhood.

Verb 'lembrar' with 'de'.

Essas alegações precisam ser comprovadas.

Those allegations need to be proven.

Passive voice 'ser comprovadas'.

A eficiência dessas máquinas é impressionante.

The efficiency of those machines is impressive.

Noun phrase as subject.

Essas conclusões foram baseadas em dados reais.

Those conclusions were based on real data.

Past participle agreement.

Não concordo com essas políticas governamentais.

I don't agree with those government policies.

Verb 'concordar' with 'com'.

Essas tendências de mercado são passageiras.

Those market trends are fleeting.

Complex subject phrase.

O impacto dessas decisões será enorme.

The impact of those decisions will be huge.

Future tense.

Essas obras de arte são inestimáveis.

Those works of art are priceless.

Formal adjective 'inestimáveis'.

Nessas circunstâncias, não podemos agir.

Under those circumstances, we cannot act.

Conditional context.

Essas idiossincrasias tornam a obra única.

Those idiosyncrasies make the work unique.

Sophisticated vocabulary.

A sutilidade dessas nuances é difícil de captar.

The subtlety of those nuances is hard to capture.

Abstract noun 'sutilidade'.

Essas reminiscências evocam um passado distante.

Those reminiscences evoke a distant past.

Literary verb 'evocar'.

Não podemos ignorar a gravidade dessas falhas.

We cannot ignore the gravity of those flaws.

Formal tone.

Essas premissas são fundamentais para o argumento.

Those premises are fundamental to the argument.

Logical terminology.

A complexidade dessas interações sociais é vasta.

The complexity of those social interactions is vast.

Academic register.

Essas manifestações artísticas refletem a época.

Those artistic manifestations reflect the era.

Reflexive-style verb 'refletir'.

Nessas esferas do poder, tudo é negociável.

In those spheres of power, everything is negotiable.

Metaphorical 'spheres'.

Essas vicissitudes da vida moldam o caráter.

Those vicissitudes of life shape the character.

High-level literary term 'vicissitudes'.

A hermenêutica dessas passagens é controversa.

The hermeneutics of those passages is controversial.

Specialized academic term.

Essas conjecturas carecem de fundamentação teórica.

Those conjectures lack theoretical foundation.

Verb 'carecer' with 'de'.

A perenidade dessas tradições é notável.

The perennial nature of those traditions is remarkable.

Abstract noun 'perenidade'.

Essas antinomias desafiam a lógica formal.

Those antinomies challenge formal logic.

Philosophical term 'antinomias'.

A magnitude dessas transformações é sem precedentes.

The magnitude of those transformations is unprecedented.

Superlative context.

Essas idiossincrasias linguísticas são fascinantes.

Those linguistic idiosyncrasies are fascinating.

Meta-linguistic usage.

Nessas paragens, o tempo parece ter parado.

In those parts (places), time seems to have stopped.

Poetic term 'paragens'.

Synonyms

tais as mencionadas referidas citadas estas aquelas determinadas

Antonyms

estas aquelas esses essa

Common Collocations

essas coisas

essas pessoas

essas horas

essas ideias

essas palavras

essas mulheres

nessas condições

dessas vezes

essas ruas

essas notícias

Common Phrases

Por essas e outras

— Because of these (things) and others; for these reasons.

Por essas e outras que eu não viajo mais.

Uma dessas

— One of those; refers to one item out of a group mentioned.

Eu quero uma dessas.

A essas alturas

— At this point; by this time.

A essas alturas, já é tarde demais.

Dessas que...

— One of those that...; used to describe a type of person or thing.

Ela é dessas que não desistem.

Com essas mãos

— With these/those hands; emphasizing personal action.

Eu fiz tudo com essas mãos.

Nessas horas

— In these/those moments; at times like these.

Nessas horas vemos quem são os amigos.

Essas e outras

— These and other things; a variety of similar things.

Ele contou essas e outras histórias.

O que são essas...

— What are those...; a common way to ask for identification.

O que são essas manchas na parede?

Para essas coisas

— For those things; regarding those matters.

Eu não tenho paciência para essas coisas.

Sabe essas...

— You know those...; used to introduce a familiar topic.

Sabe essas lojas de conveniência?

Often Confused With

essas vs estas

Estas is for things near the speaker; essas is for things near the listener.

essas vs aquelas

Aquelas is for things far from both people.

essas vs esses

Esses is the masculine version; essas is feminine.

Idioms & Expressions

"Essas são as regras do jogo"

— That's how things work; those are the rules.

Infelizmente, essas são as regras do jogo.

neutral

"Cair nessas"

— To fall for those (tricks/stories).

Eu não caio mais nessas conversas.

informal

"Estar nessas"

— To be in that kind of situation (usually bad).

Eu não queria estar nessas.

informal

"Dessas águas não beberei"

— I will never do that; I won't go down that path.

Ele diz que 'dessas águas não beberei', mas logo muda de ideia.

idiomatic

"Essas e as outras"

— A lot of things; many different stories or excuses.

Ela veio com essas e as outras para se explicar.

informal

"Nessas e naquelas"

— Between one thing and another; in the middle of various events.

Nessas e naquelas, acabamos perdendo o trem.

informal

"Ficar nessas"

— To stay in that state of indecision or stagnation.

Não podemos ficar nessas para sempre.

neutral

"Uma dessas vezes"

— One of these days; eventually.

Uma dessas vezes eu te visito.

neutral

"Sair-se com essas"

— To come up with those (excuses/surprising statements).

Ele se saiu com essas agora!

informal

"Por essas bandas"

— In these parts; in this region.

O que você faz por essas bandas?

informal

Easily Confused

essas vs elas

Both refer to feminine plural entities.

Elas is a personal pronoun (they); essas is a demonstrative (those).

Elas são bonitas. Essas flores são bonitas.

essas vs essa

Similar sound and meaning.

Essa is singular; essas is plural.

Essa caneta. Essas canetas.

essas vs as

Both can translate to 'the' or 'those' in some contexts.

As is a definite article; essas is a demonstrative with spatial meaning.

As chaves (The keys). Essas chaves (Those keys near you).

essas vs isso

Both are demonstratives.

Isso is neutral and singular (that thing); essas is feminine and plural.

O que é isso? O que são essas coisas?

essas vs dessas

Learners might not realize it's a contraction.

Dessas is just 'de + essas'.

Eu gosto dessas (I like of those).

Sentence Patterns

Essas [noun] são [adjective].

Essas flores são vermelhas.

Eu gosto dessas [noun].

Eu gosto dessas cores.

O que você acha dessas [noun]?

O que você acha dessas mudanças?

Nessas [noun], é preciso [verb].

Nessas situações, é preciso ter paciência.

A [noun] dessas [noun] é [adjective].

A origem dessas tradições é antiga.

Não obstante essas [noun], [clause].

Não obstante essas falhas, o projeto continuará.

Onde estão essas [noun]?

Onde estão essas chaves?

Passe-me essas [noun].

Passe-me essas xícaras.

Word Family

esse

essa

esses

isso

dessas

nessas

How to Use It

frequency

Extremely high in daily speech and writing.

Common Mistakes

Essas problemas → Esses problemas
The word 'problema' is masculine, despite ending in 'a'. Therefore, you must use the masculine demonstrative 'esses'.
Eu gosto de essas flores → Eu gosto dessas flores
In Portuguese, the preposition 'de' must contract with the demonstrative 'essas' to form 'dessas'.
Using 'essas' for things far from everyone → Aquelas
'Essas' is specifically for things near the listener. For distant objects, 'aquelas' is required.
Essas caneta → Essas canetas
Demonstratives must agree in number. Since 'essas' is plural, the noun 'canetas' must also be plural.
Em essas caixas → Nessas caixas
The preposition 'em' must contract with 'essas' to form 'nessas'.

Tips

Agreement is Key

Always look at the noun's gender. If it's feminine and plural, 'essas' is your friend. Don't let words like 'problema' trick you; they look feminine but are masculine!

Use Adverbs for Clarity

If you want to be extra clear that you mean 'those near you', add the word 'aí' after the noun: 'essas chaves aí'. It makes you sound very native.

Contractions are Mandatory

Never write 'de essas' or 'em essas'. Use 'dessas' and 'nessas'. This is one of the easiest ways to improve the quality of your written Portuguese.

Listen for the 'S' sound

In Portugal, 'essas' might sound like 'ess-ash' because of the regional pronunciation of the final 's'. In Brazil, it's usually a clear 's' sound.

Abstract Usage

Remember that 'essas' isn't just for physical objects. Use it for 'essas ideias', 'essas notícias', or 'essas histórias' that someone else just told you.

Regional Differences

If you are in Portugal, try to be more precise with 'estas' vs 'essas'. In Brazil, you can relax and use 'essas' more freely for both.

The 'You' Rule

Think: 'Essas' has two 's's. 'Second person' also starts with 'S'. 'Essas' is for the second person (you)!

Avoid 'Aquelas' for Near Objects

Don't use 'aquelas' for things your friend is holding. It makes the object seem like it's miles away, which can be confusing.

Open your 'E'

The first 'e' in 'essas' is open, like in 'best'. Practice saying 'é-sas' to get the vowel sound right.

Pronoun Power

Don't be afraid to use 'essas' alone as a pronoun. If someone asks 'Which ones?', just pointing and saying 'Essas' is perfectly correct.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'ESSAS' as 'Extra Small Socks At Sarah's'. Sarah is the listener, and the socks are near her!

Visual Association

Imagine a friend holding two pink (feminine) umbrellas. Point at them and say 'Essas'. The 'ss' in the middle looks like two people standing together.

Word Web

essa esses esse isso dessas nessas estas aquelas

Challenge

Try to find three feminine plural objects near someone else today and name them using 'essas' (e.g., essas chaves, essas canetas, essas xícaras).

Word Origin

Derived from the Latin 'ecce' (behold) combined with 'ipsas' (themselves, feminine plural). Over time, 'ecce ipsas' evolved through Vulgar Latin into the Old Portuguese forms that eventually became 'essas'.

Original meaning: Behold those very ones (feminine).

Romance (Indo-European).

Cultural Context

No specific sensitivities, but be aware that using 'essas pessoas' (those people) can sometimes sound dismissive depending on the tone of voice.

English speakers often struggle because they only have 'those'. They must learn to split 'those' into 'essas' (near you) and 'aquelas' (far from both).

The song 'Águas de Março' by Tom Jobim mentions various objects using demonstratives. Commonly used in Brazilian Telenovelas to refer to 'those women' (essas mulheres) in dramatic plots. Frequent in Portuguese proverbs about life's circumstances.

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

At a store

Quanto custam essas?
Eu quero essas blusas.
Essas estão em promoção?
Vou levar essas.

At home

De quem são essas chaves?
Pode guardar essas roupas?
Onde coloco essas flores?
Essas janelas estão sujas.

At work

Você viu essas planilhas?
Precisamos dessas informações.
Essas reuniões são longas.
Quem enviou essas pastas?

With friends

Essas fotos ficaram ótimas!
Adoro essas suas ideias.
Onde você comprou essas?
Essas músicas são legais.

In a city

Essas ruas são perigosas?
Como chego nessas praças?
Essas linhas de ônibus mudaram.
Eu gosto dessas árvores.

Conversation Starters

"O que você acha dessas novas regras da escola?"

"Você sabe de quem são essas mochilas aqui na sala?"

"Como você conseguiu essas entradas para o show?"

"Você já visitou essas cidades que você mencionou?"

"Onde você costuma comprar essas frutas tão frescas?"

Journal Prompts

Escreva sobre essas memórias de infância que você mais valoriza.

Quais são essas metas que você deseja alcançar este ano?

Descreva essas amizades que mudaram a sua vida para melhor.

Pense nessas dificuldades que você superou recentemente.

Quais são essas pequenas coisas que te fazem feliz no dia a dia?

Frequently Asked Questions

10 questions

Use 'essas' when the objects are near the person you are talking to. Use 'aquelas' when the objects are far away from both of you. For example, if your friend is holding books, say 'essas'. If the books are across the street, say 'aquelas'.

Yes, 'essas' is strictly feminine. If you are referring to masculine plural nouns, you must use 'esses'. For example, 'essas mesas' (feminine) but 'esses livros' (masculine).

No, in Portuguese, you must contract 'em' with 'essas' to form 'nessas'. Saying 'em essas' sounds very unnatural to native speakers. Always use 'nessas' for 'in those'.

'Essa' is the singular form (that), and 'essas' is the plural form (those). Use 'essa' for one item and 'essas' for two or more items.

In colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, the distinction between 'estas' (near me) and 'essas' (near you) has weakened. Most people use 'essas' for both cases in casual conversation, though 'estas' is still preferred in formal writing.

The 'ss' is pronounced as a sharp, voiceless 's' sound, like in the English word 'session'. It is never pronounced like a 'z'.

Yes, you can use 'essas' to refer to people, such as 'essas mulheres' or 'essas crianças'. Just be careful with your tone, as 'essas pessoas' can sometimes sound slightly rude depending on the context.

'Dessas' is the contraction of the preposition 'de' (of/from) and 'essas'. It is used after verbs that require 'de', like 'gostar' (to like). 'Eu gosto dessas flores' means 'I like those flowers'.

Yes, 'essas' can refer to time periods near the present or mentioned by the listener, such as 'essas semanas' (those weeks) or 'essas horas' (at this time).

Yes. If the noun is far from both the speaker and the listener, you must change 'essas' to 'aquelas'.