Topics
AdvancedDeixis
How languages point to people, places and times relative to the speaker in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Deixis is pointing with language. Every language encodes spatial, temporal and personal reference relative to the speaker. Spanish has a three-way spatial system (aquí/ahí/allí). English has two-way (here/there). Chinese also has two-way with 这/那.
Overview
Deixis refers to words that point to things relative to the speaker’s location, time, or identity.
- Spanish: Has a three-way spatial distinction (near me, near you, far from both) in both demonstratives and locative adverbs. Temporal deixis includes ahora, entonces, antes, después.
- English: Two-way spatial system (this/that, here/there). Temporal deixis uses now, then, today, yesterday, tomorrow. Some archaic forms (yon, yonder) exist.
- Chinese: Two-way system (这/那). Locative adverbs use the same demonstrative + 里/儿/边. Temporal deixis is simple and context-dependent.
Spanish
Three-way demonstratives
| Near speaker | Near listener | Far from both | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | este | ese | aquel |
| Feminine | esta | esa | aquella |
| Neuter | esto | eso | aquello |
| Plural (masc) | estos | esos | aquellos |
| Plural (fem) | estas | esas | aquellas |
Examples:
- Este libro es mío. (This book [near me] is mine.)
- Ese libro es tuyo. (That book [near you] is yours.)
- Aquel libro es de Juan. (That book [over there] is Juan’s.)
Locative adverbs
| Near speaker | Near listener | Far from both |
|---|---|---|
| aquí | ahí | allí / allá |
- Ven aquí. (Come here [to me].)
- Ponlo ahí. (Put it there [near you].)
- Allá en el campo… (Way over there in the countryside…)
Note: Allá is slightly more distant/emphatic than allí.
Temporal deixis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ahora | now |
| hoy | today |
| ayer | yesterday |
| mañana | tomorrow |
| entonces | then |
| antes | before |
| después | after |
| ahora mismo | right now |
| en aquel entonces | back then |
Personal deixis
| Person | Subject | Object | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | yo | me | me |
| you (informal) | tú | te | te |
| you (formal) | usted | lo/la | se |
| he/she | él/ella | lo/la | se |
| we | nosotros/nosotras | nos | nos |
| you all | vosotros/ustedes | os/los/las | os/se |
| they | ellos/ellas | los/las | se |
Verb deixis (come/go, bring/take)
- venir (come toward speaker)
- ir (go away from speaker)
- traer (bring toward speaker)
- llevar (take away from speaker)
English
Two-way demonstratives
| Near speaker | Far from speaker |
|---|---|
| this | that |
| these (plural) | those (plural) |
Examples:
- This book is mine. (near me)
- That book is yours. (far from me, near you or distant)
Locative adverbs
| Near speaker | Far from speaker |
|---|---|
| here | there |
- Come here. (to me)
- Go there. (away)
- Over there (more distant)
- Right here / Right there (emphatic)
Archaic: yonder (yon mountain = that mountain over there)
Temporal deixis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| now | the present moment |
| then | past or future reference point |
| today | this day |
| yesterday | the day before today |
| tomorrow | the day after today |
| tonight | this evening |
| this morning | the morning of today |
| last week | the week before this one |
| next week | the week after this one |
| ago | before now (3 days ago) |
| hence | from now (3 days hence — archaic) |
Personal deixis
| Person | Subject | Object | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I | me | myself |
| you | you | you | yourself |
| he/she/it | he/she/it | him/her/it | himself/herself/itself |
| we | we | us | ourselves |
| you all | you | you | yourselves |
| they | they | them | themselves |
Social deixis
English uses titles, honorifics, and register:
- Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.
- sir, ma’am (service context)
- first names (informal)
- Would you mind…? (distance-formal)
Verb deixis (come/go, bring/take)
- come (toward speaker/center)
- go (away from speaker/center)
- bring (toward speaker/center)
- take (away from speaker/center)
Chinese
Two-way demonstratives
| Near speaker | Far from speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrative | 这 zhè | 那 nà |
| Plural | 这些 zhèxiē | 那些 nàxiē |
| Location | 这儿 zhèr / 这里 zhèlǐ | 那儿 nàr / 那里 nàlǐ |
| Direction | 这边 zhèbiān | 那边 nàbiān |
| Manner | 这样 zhèyàng | 那样 nàyàng |
| Quantity | 这么 zhème | 那么 nàme |
| Time | 这时 zhèshí | 那时 nàshí |
Examples:
- 这本书是我的。(This book is mine.)
- 那本书是你的。(That book is yours.)
Note: Chinese does not distinguish “near listener” from “far from both.” 那 covers both.
Locative adverbs
| Near speaker | Far from speaker |
|---|---|
| 这儿 / 这里 | 那儿 / 那里 |
- 到这儿来。(Come here.)
- 去那儿。(Go there.)
Directional:
- 这边 (this side)
- 那边 (that side)
Temporal deixis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 现在 | now |
| 今天 | today |
| 昨天 | yesterday |
| 明天 | tomorrow |
| 刚才 | just now |
| 以前 | before |
| 以后 | after |
| 那时 | then |
| 当时 | at that time |
| 这时 | at this time |
Personal deixis
| Person | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| I | 我 |
| you | 你 |
| you (formal) | 您 |
| he/she/it | 他 / 她 / 它 |
| we | 我们 |
| you all | 你们 |
| they | 他们 / 她们 |
Social deixis: 您 (formal you) vs 你 (informal)
来/去 as verb deixis
- 来 (come toward speaker)
- 去 (go away from speaker)
- 带来 (bring toward speaker)
- 带去 (take away from speaker)
- 过来 (come over here)
- 过去 (go over there)
Comparison at a glance
| Deixis type | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| This (near me) | este | this | 这 |
| That (near you) | ese | that | 那 |
| That (far) | aquel | that (yon) | 那 |
| Here (near me) | aquí | here | 这儿/这里 |
| There (near you) | ahí | there | 那儿/那里 |
| There (far) | allí/allá | there (yonder) | 那儿/那里 |
| Now | ahora | now | 现在 |
| Then | entonces | then | 那时 |
| Today | hoy | today | 今天 |
| Tomorrow | mañana | tomorrow | 明天 |
| Yesterday | ayer | yesterday | 昨天 |
| Verb: come | venir | come | 来 |
| Verb: go | ir | go | 去 |
| Verb: bring | traer | bring | 带来 |
| Verb: take | llevar | take | 带去 |
Examples in context
Come here
- ES: Ven aquí. (to me)
- EN: Come here.
- ZH: 到这儿来。
Put it there (near you)
- ES: Ponlo ahí.
- EN: Put it there.
- ZH: 放在那儿。
That man over there
- ES: Aquel hombre (far from both)
- EN: That man over there.
- ZH: 那边的那个人。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Using ese for far objects: Ese montaña → Aquel montaña (if far from both)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Over-specifying distance: That there → That or That over there
-
Spanish speakers learning Chinese: Expecting three-way distinction: no aquí/ahí/allí in Chinese, just 这儿/那儿
-
Chinese speakers learning Spanish: Using ese for all “that”: must distinguish ese (near you) from aquel (far)
Related topics
- Demonstratives: How demonstrative pronouns work
- Pronouns: How personal reference works
- Directional Verbs: How come/go are deictic
- Time Expressions: How temporal deixis works
Examples
This (near speaker)
este
That (near listener)
ese
That (far from both)
aquel
Here (near speaker)
aquí
There (near listener)
ahí
There (far from both)
allí / allá
Now
ahora
Then (past/future)
entonces / en aquel entonces
Examples
This (near speaker)
this
That (near listener)
that
That (far from both)
that (yon — archaic)
Here (near speaker)
here
There (near listener)
there
There (far from both)
there / yonder (archaic)
Now
now
Then (past/future)
then
Examples
This (near speaker)
这
That (near listener)
那 (no distinction)
That (far from both)
那 (no distinction)
Here (near speaker)
这儿 / 这里
There (near listener)
那儿 / 那里
There (far from both)
那儿 (no distinction)
Now
现在
Then (past/future)
那时 / 当时
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| This (near speaker) | este | this | 这 |
| That (near listener) | ese | that | 那 (no distinction) |
| That (far from both) | aquel | that (yon — archaic) | 那 (no distinction) |
| Here (near speaker) | aquí | here | 这儿 / 这里 |
| There (near listener) | ahí | there | 那儿 / 那里 |
| There (far from both) | allí / allá | there / yonder (archaic) | 那儿 (no distinction) |
| Now | ahora | now | 现在 |
| Then (past/future) | entonces / en aquel entonces | then | 那时 / 当时 |
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Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| This (near speaker) | este | this | 这 |
| That (near listener) | ese | that | 那 (no distinction) |
| That (far from both) | aquel | that (yon — archaic) | 那 (no distinction) |
| Here (near speaker) | aquí | here | 这儿 / 这里 |
| There (near listener) | ahí | there | 那儿 / 那里 |
| There (far from both) | allí / allá | there / yonder (archaic) | 那儿 (no distinction) |
| Now | ahora | now | 现在 |
| Then (past/future) | entonces / en aquel entonces | then | 那时 / 当时 |
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Examples in context
This (near speaker)
Spanish
este
English
this
Chinese
这
That (near listener)
Spanish
ese
English
that
Chinese
那 (no distinction)
That (far from both)
Spanish
aquel
English
that (yon — archaic)
Chinese
那 (no distinction)
Here (near speaker)
Spanish
aquí
English
here
Chinese
这儿 / 这里
There (near listener)
Spanish
ahí
English
there
Chinese
那儿 / 那里
There (far from both)
Spanish
allí / allá
English
there / yonder (archaic)
Chinese
那儿 (no distinction)
Now
Spanish
ahora
English
now
Chinese
现在
Then (past/future)
Spanish
entonces / en aquel entonces
English
then
Chinese
那时 / 当时
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Has a three-way spatial distinction (near me, near you, far from both) in both demonstratives and locative adverbs. Temporal deixis includes...
English: Two-way spatial system (this/that, here/there). Temporal deixis uses now, then, today, yesterday, tomorrow. Some archaic forms (yon, yonder)...
Chinese: Two-way system (这zhè/那nà). Locative adverbs use the same demonstrative + 里lǐ/儿ér/边biān. Temporal deixis is simple and context-dependent.
Key concepts compared: This (near speaker), That (near listener), That (far from both).
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Last updated: June 4, 2026