customer: quiero un café.
me: qué tamaño?
customer: pequeño por favor.
(the coffee shop in question has creative names for its sizes, so I often hold up a cup to clarify. :p)
me, holding up a small cup: cómo esto?
my understanding is that since the phrase "like this?" doesn't contain a noun after "this," then "esto" should be used. but technically we've been talking about "el tamaño," so is "este" correct instead? I've never been able to find something explain this exact scenario. 😅
Hola k h
Thanks for your very clear explanation of the context : ))
Yes, you're right. If you said "¿Como esto?", that would be more like saying ¿Como esta cosa en mi mano? as if you had a strange object in your hand. But it´s not a strange object, it is a cup. As you are referring to "this cup" you´d say "¿Como este? if you think of it as "vaso" (este vaso) or ¿Como esta? if you think of it as "taza" (cup, mug) - so, this way you are saying "Like this one?"
I hope this clarifies it.
Un saludo cordial
Inma
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