este, no ese — unos tomates
this one, not that one — some tomatoes
Common trap for English speakers este = this (near me), ese = that (near you); unos/unas = 'some', for rough quantities.
In the story
Mira: este, no ese — unos tomates.
Lucía
este is this, near you; ese is that, a bit farther. Tomatoes are masculine plural — tomates — so unos tomates means some tomatoes. Common mistake: mixing gender. Don’t say “unas tomates.” It’s unos tomates.
Lucía
With me: este, no ese — unos tomates... Slower: es-te, no e-se — u-nos to-ma-tes... Now natural: este, no ese — unos tomates.
Learn it in the story
This phrase appears in the lesson:
Level pre-A1 · Lesson 12