How do I know if I have to use the one with accent and not the one without accent? Could you provide examples?
asked Feb 16, 2012 at 15:18
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And don't forget ésta and éste! :)– jrdiokoCommented Feb 16, 2012 at 17:23
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2I've never heard of "ésta" and "éste". Also is grammatically incorrect because is a grave word.– Alfredo OsorioCommented Feb 16, 2012 at 18:10
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4@AlfredoO no, it's not grammatically incorrect to say ésta/éste. es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anfibolog%C3%ADa– IcarusCommented Feb 16, 2012 at 19:51
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@AlfredoO: I believe the accent on the first e used to be required for demonstrative pronouns when the e was lowercase, but it sounds like RAE changed that so it's only necessary in case of ambiguity. Maybe that's worth another question though.– jrdiokoCommented Feb 17, 2012 at 17:12
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2 Answers
It's just a matter of stress. If the stressed syllable is the first one, you don't write the accent. If it's the last one, you do.
You know, the rule states that "if the stress is in the last syllable and it ends in vowel, n or s, you must write the accent".
Besides, está and esté are forms of the verb estar, whereas esta and este are demonstratives or pronouns.
Some examples:
- Esta mesa está aquí.
- Es mejor que este jarrón esté aquí.
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1Specially the answer to the question is on the sentence that starts with Besides,...– PetruzaCommented Feb 18, 2012 at 12:09
"está" is the 3rd. person, singular of the verb "estar". In English: "is".
"esta" is a pronoun, it translates to "this".
Esta casa está inclinada. Esta linea está torcida. Esta mañana está muy bonita.
