Saying That in Spanish

Saying That in Spanish That is one of those words in English that has no straightforward answer to the question: How do you translate that to Spanish? More so than most words, translating that to Spanish requires you to understand how it is used in a sentence and what it means. A quite common word, it can function as a pronoun, conjunction, adjective or adverb - or be part of phrases where its meaning is less than clear. That as an Adjective When that is used an adjective, it most often is used to point to a particular thing or person. In such cases, it functions as a demonstrative adjective. The most common demonstrative adjectives used for that are ese (masculine), esa (feminine), aquel (masculine) and aquella (feminine). Generally, objects referred to with ese or esa are not as far away in space or time as ones accompanied by aquel or aquella. Im going to buy myself that car. Me voy a comprar ese coche.That car (over there) is better than yours. Aquel coche es mejor que el tuyo.I want that computer!  ¡Quiero esa computadora! Less frequently, that can be used to refer to someone or something that was mentioned earlier. Using dicho or dicha is a possible translation: At the end of the video one can observe that that woman (the one mentioned earlier) is betrayed before her very eyes. Al final del video se puede observar que dicha mujer es traiconada ante sus propios ojos.I would like to acquire that car (that weve been talking about). Me gustarà ­a adquirir dicho coche. That as a Subject or Object Pronoun Usually, when that is used as subject or object pronoun, it is used much the same way as the demonstrative adjectives discussed above, except that it stands by itself without the noun, becoming a demonstrative pronoun. The forms are the same as the adjectives listed above, although an  orthographic accent is used used by some writers even though it is not not strictly necessary. Im going to buy myself that. Me voy a comprar à ©se.That (over there) is better than yours. Aquà ©l es mejor que el tuyo.I want that!  ¡Quiero à ©sa! If that refers to a sentence, a thought or something that is unknown (and therefore its gender not known), eso (no accent) is used: That is a good idea. Eso es una buena idea.What is that?  ¿Quà © es eso?All that cant be free. Todo eso no puede ser gratis. In many cases, that as a subject pronoun doesnt have to be translated at all, especially where it could be used as well. For example, thats impossible could usually be translated as either eso es imposible or merely es imposible. That as a Relative Pronoun When that is used as a relative pronoun, it introduces a phrase or clause that provides more information about a noun, which it follows. This concept is probably easier to understand with examples, where that is generally translated by the Spanish que: This is the house that youre looking for. Ésta es la casa que buscas.She is the student that knows nothing. Es la estudiante que sabe nada.El Bulli is a restaurant that is found in Girona. El Bulli es un restaurante que se encuentra en Girona. If that can be replaced by who or which with little change in meaning, it is probably functioning as a relative pronoun. If the relative pronoun that is used in an English sentence that ends in a preposition, you may need to use the relative pronoun el cual or its variations (la cual, los cuales or las cuales, depending on number and gender) following a Spanish preposition: Its the juice  that you couldnt live without. Es el jugo sin el cual no podrà ­as vivir.She is a woman that many dont pay attention to. Es una mujer a la cual muchos no le ponen atencià ³n. That as a Conjunction Although that may not seem like a conjunction, it often functions as one (a subordinating conjunction, to be precise) when it follows a verb. Typically, que can be used in translation: The boss said that he is happy with my work. El jefe me dijo que est contento con mi trabajo.I understand that I cant be forced to sign this document. Comprendo que no se me puede forzar a firmar este documento.He knows that we know that such an aspiration is stupidity. Él sabe que nosotros sabemos que tal pretensià ³n es una estupidez. That as an Adverb Usually, that as an adverb is the rough equivalent of so and can be translated as tan. He isnt that smart. No es tan inteligente.Yes, its that important to wash your hands. Sà ­, es tan importante lavarse los manos. That in Phrases and Idioms In phrases and idioms, the translation of that is often unpredictable. There are probably too many such phrases to be memorized; it is probably better to try to think of what the phrase means and translate accordingly. Here are some examples of how you might translate phrases using that: And thats that!:  ¡Y eso es todo!At that: He is a writer, and a good one at that. Es escritor, y adems de los buenos.Despite that: They charged for Ubuntu despite that it is free. Cobraron Ubuntu a pesar de que es gratis.How to you like that?:  ¿Quà © te parece?In order that, so that: We need your help in order that the campaign be successful. Necesitamos su ayuda a fin de que la campaà ±a tenga à ©xito. Evil exists so that people can appreciate what is good. El mal existe para que las personas puedan apreciar lo que es bueno.Like that: Why do politicians talk like that?  ¿Por quà © hablan asà ­ los polà ­ticos?That I know of: Nobody has cloned me that I know of. Que yo sepa nadie me ha clonado.That is to say: Excel 2007 didnt know how to multiply. That is to say, it made mistakes. Excel 2007 no sabà ­a multiplicar. Es decir, se equivocaba.