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How To Remember 'This' vs 'That' in Spanish — The T Rule That Changed My Life
Want to learn how to speak spanish? https://readytospeakspanish.com/
VERSE 1
Este, esta, esto — close and near, Estos, estas — plural, crystal clear. Ese, esa, eso — step back there, Eses, esas — distance in the air.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Este, esta, estos, estas — T is here. Ese, esa, esos, esas — T disappears.
VERSE 2
One more layer, way back when, Aquel, aquella, aquello — distance again. Not just physical, but time and soul, Aquellos, aquellas — emotional control.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Este, esta, estos, estas — T is here. Ese, esa, esos, esas — T disappears.
VERSE 3
This is me right now, I'm standing tall, Esta soy yo — present, here, and all. That was me, a step away, Esa fui yo — yesterday's way. But that one far, from long ago, Aquella fui yo — the past I know.
BRIDGE
Este, esta — close and near, Ese, esa — step back here. Aquel, aquella — way back when, Distance lives inside again.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Este, esta, estos, estas — T is here. Ese, esa, esos, esas — T disappears.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Aquel, aquella, aquello — way out there. Distance, time, and memory in the air.
THE T RULE — MEMORY TRICK
THIS & THESE = T's Este, esta, esto (this) Estos, estas (these) All have the T sound
THAT & THOSE = NO T's Ese, esa, eso (that) Eses, esas (those) No T sound
AQUEL = BONUS LAYER (Distance in Time & Emotion) Aquel, aquella, aquello (that — far away, long ago, emotionally distant) No T sound, but implies maximum distance
KEY PHRASES — THREE DISTANCES EXPLAINED
ESTE / ESTA / ESTO (This — Close & Present)
Este café está bueno. = This coffee is good. Esta chica es mi amiga. = This girl is my friend. Esto es importante. = This is important. Estos libros son míos. = These books are mine. Estas noches son mágicas. = These nights are magical.
Use for: things right next to you, the present moment, immediate reality
ESE / ESA / ESO (That — Removed & Past)
Ese hombre es profesor. = That man is a teacher. Esa película fue buena. = That movie was good. Eso no me importa. = That doesn't matter to me. Esos días fueron especiales. = Those days were special. Esas personas son buenas. = Those people are good.
Use for: things a little further away, the recent past, general reference
AQUEL / AQUELLA / AQUELLO (That Over There — Far & Distant)
Aquel árbol está muy lejos. = That tree is very far away. Aquella noche fue inolvidable. = That night (long ago) was unforgettable. Aquello que pasó me marcó. = That (distant memory) that happened marked me. Aquellos tiempos eran diferentes. = Those times (long ago) were different. Aquellas personas ya no existen. = Those people (from way back) no longer exist.
Use for: things physically far away, the distant past, emotional distance, time & memory
THE SELENA EXAMPLE — WHY IT MATTERS
In her song, Selena sings: "Yo fui aquella que sufrió por ti."
(I was that one — long ago, emotionally distant — who suffered for you.)
If she'd said "Yo fui esa que sufrió por ti," it would land differently. Less dramatic. Less reflective. Less painful.
By using aquella, she's saying: "That version of me—from way back, from a completely different place, from an era I've moved past—that version suffered for you."
It's not just grammar. It's storytelling. It's distance with weight.
Comparison:
"Esta soy yo." = This is me (right now, who I am today)
"Esa fui yo." = That was me (the past, a general reference to old me)
"Aquella fui yo." = That was me (long ago, emotionally distant, a different person entirely, a different era)
WHY THE T RULE ACTUALLY WORKS
English has "this" and "that." Point and you're done.
Spanish gives you three levels: este (here), ese (there), aquel (way over there). But here's the trick: the T in este and estos/estas makes them stick in your brain.
When you remember "T = close, no T = far," you're not just memorizing. You're encoding the concept of distance into the sound of the word itself.
And that's when it stops being a rule and becomes intuition.
Join the community that taught me to learn Spanish the right way: The Layers Method on Skool → https://www.skool.com/layersmethod/about?ref=bb309c98f57b4f1396f0ddbf25018f0e
Focus on the first 300 words. Master their forms. Speak Spanish in real conversations within weeks.
Stuck in Your Head: Songs to Learn Spanish — created by Mystikole AI
https://readytospeakspanish.com/
View all episodes
By MystikoleAIWant to learn how to speak spanish? https://readytospeakspanish.com/
VERSE 1
Este, esta, esto — close and near, Estos, estas — plural, crystal clear. Ese, esa, eso — step back there, Eses, esas — distance in the air.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Este, esta, estos, estas — T is here. Ese, esa, esos, esas — T disappears.
VERSE 2
One more layer, way back when, Aquel, aquella, aquello — distance again. Not just physical, but time and soul, Aquellos, aquellas — emotional control.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Este, esta, estos, estas — T is here. Ese, esa, esos, esas — T disappears.
VERSE 3
This is me right now, I'm standing tall, Esta soy yo — present, here, and all. That was me, a step away, Esa fui yo — yesterday's way. But that one far, from long ago, Aquella fui yo — the past I know.
BRIDGE
Este, esta — close and near, Ese, esa — step back here. Aquel, aquella — way back when, Distance lives inside again.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Este, esta, estos, estas — T is here. Ese, esa, esos, esas — T disappears.
CHORUS
This and these have T's, that and those don't. This and these have T's, that and those don't. Aquel, aquella, aquello — way out there. Distance, time, and memory in the air.
THE T RULE — MEMORY TRICK
THIS & THESE = T's Este, esta, esto (this) Estos, estas (these) All have the T sound
THAT & THOSE = NO T's Ese, esa, eso (that) Eses, esas (those) No T sound
AQUEL = BONUS LAYER (Distance in Time & Emotion) Aquel, aquella, aquello (that — far away, long ago, emotionally distant) No T sound, but implies maximum distance
KEY PHRASES — THREE DISTANCES EXPLAINED
ESTE / ESTA / ESTO (This — Close & Present)
Este café está bueno. = This coffee is good. Esta chica es mi amiga. = This girl is my friend. Esto es importante. = This is important. Estos libros son míos. = These books are mine. Estas noches son mágicas. = These nights are magical.
Use for: things right next to you, the present moment, immediate reality
ESE / ESA / ESO (That — Removed & Past)
Ese hombre es profesor. = That man is a teacher. Esa película fue buena. = That movie was good. Eso no me importa. = That doesn't matter to me. Esos días fueron especiales. = Those days were special. Esas personas son buenas. = Those people are good.
Use for: things a little further away, the recent past, general reference
AQUEL / AQUELLA / AQUELLO (That Over There — Far & Distant)
Aquel árbol está muy lejos. = That tree is very far away. Aquella noche fue inolvidable. = That night (long ago) was unforgettable. Aquello que pasó me marcó. = That (distant memory) that happened marked me. Aquellos tiempos eran diferentes. = Those times (long ago) were different. Aquellas personas ya no existen. = Those people (from way back) no longer exist.
Use for: things physically far away, the distant past, emotional distance, time & memory
THE SELENA EXAMPLE — WHY IT MATTERS
In her song, Selena sings: "Yo fui aquella que sufrió por ti."
(I was that one — long ago, emotionally distant — who suffered for you.)
If she'd said "Yo fui esa que sufrió por ti," it would land differently. Less dramatic. Less reflective. Less painful.
By using aquella, she's saying: "That version of me—from way back, from a completely different place, from an era I've moved past—that version suffered for you."
It's not just grammar. It's storytelling. It's distance with weight.
Comparison:
"Esta soy yo." = This is me (right now, who I am today)
"Esa fui yo." = That was me (the past, a general reference to old me)
"Aquella fui yo." = That was me (long ago, emotionally distant, a different person entirely, a different era)
WHY THE T RULE ACTUALLY WORKS
English has "this" and "that." Point and you're done.
Spanish gives you three levels: este (here), ese (there), aquel (way over there). But here's the trick: the T in este and estos/estas makes them stick in your brain.
When you remember "T = close, no T = far," you're not just memorizing. You're encoding the concept of distance into the sound of the word itself.
And that's when it stops being a rule and becomes intuition.
Join the community that taught me to learn Spanish the right way: The Layers Method on Skool → https://www.skool.com/layersmethod/about?ref=bb309c98f57b4f1396f0ddbf25018f0e
Focus on the first 300 words. Master their forms. Speak Spanish in real conversations within weeks.
Stuck in Your Head: Songs to Learn Spanish — created by Mystikole AI
https://readytospeakspanish.com/