How Does "This" Translate Into Spanish?

As an adjective

The translation este agrees in number and gender with the nouns it modifies; this is translated by este, esta, and these by estos, estas, depending on what follows: 

•  this book/magazine = este libro/esta revista
•  these books/magazines = estos libros/estas revistas

As a pronoun

Again, the translation éste agrees in number and gender with the nouns it is standing for; this is translated by éste, ésta, and those by éstos, éstas, depending on what is being referred to:

•  this (one) is mine = éste es el mío
•  these are my best roses = éstas son mis mejores rosas

? When this as a pronoun is used to refer to something which is not specified for gender, it is translated by the neuter esto:

•  what’s this? = ?qué es esto?
•  this is very difficult = esto es muy difícil

Sometimes it is not translated at all:

•  this is Mike (speaking) = habla Mike

For more examples and particular usages see the entries for this

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