Ch 2 · Lesson 15Esperanto · Chapter 2 · Lesson 15 · Grammar primer
Demonstratives: tiu kaj tio
Pointing done properly: for a named one, for an unnamed thing, and the test that tells them apart. and the endings come next.
The short version
. .
Why?Hide
Esperanto points with two words. picks out an individual and can stand before a noun: , that person. points at an unnamed thing, a situation or what was just said, and never takes a noun. If a noun follows, the word must be . For this, add : .
Esperanto points with two words: (that one) and (that thing). takes -j and -n like an adjective; takes -n only. For this, add . That is every this, that, these and those English asks of you.
| Subject | Object | |
|---|---|---|
| that one | | |
| those ones | | |
| that thing | | |
| this one | | |
| this thing | | |
Tiu: that one
picks a specific individual out of a set. It sits before a noun, or stands alone when the noun is understood:
.- That person is speaking..- That one came first.
The test: could you answer which one? If so, it is .
Tio: that thing
points at something you are not naming: an unidentified object, a situation, or a whole previous sentence.
| Points at | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| an unknown thing | ? | What is that? |
| a situation | ! | That is not possible! |
| what was said | . | That is the truth. |
You cannot put a noun after . The same split runs through the whole correlative table: -u words pick individuals, -o words gesture at things.
One word, two jobs: adjective or pronoun
Before a noun, is an adjective: it describes the noun and copies its -j and -n, exactly as would:
.- I see those people..- I see good people.
Standing alone, the same word is a pronoun: it replaces the noun.
.- Those (people) came.
only ever does the second job, so is simply not Esperanto.
English hides the same split. In that book is mine, that is an adjective; in that is mine, it is a pronoun:
.- That book is mine..- That is mine.
Going further: ĉi: pulling that into this and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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10-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 15 of 43 in this chapter