LingoflyDemonstratives: aquest, aqueix, aquell — and "ho" for what was said
Three degrees of distance. Aquest/aquesta (in speech more often este/esta) — this, near me: aquest telèfon. Aqueix/aqueixa (in speech eixe/eixa) — that, nearer to you: eixa clau que tens? Aquell/aquella — that one, far from us both: aquella casa. For example: “Aquest telèfon és el meu, aquell és el teu” — This phone is mine, that one over there is yours. A rule from the Valencian course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
Three degrees of distance. Aquest/aquesta (in speech more often este/esta) — this, near me: aquest telèfon. Aqueix/aqueixa (in speech eixe/eixa) — that, nearer to you: eixa clau que tens?. Aquell/aquella — that one, far from us both: aquella casa.
All three steps are alive, and mixing them up is not allowed. About what was said in words speaks the neutral ho: Això no ho sé. "Això" names the topic, "ho" replaces it inside the phrase.
By example
- Eixa capsa és gran, aquella és petitaThis box (by you) is big, that one over there is small
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Demonstratives: how does it work in Valencian?
Three degrees of distance. Aquest/aquesta (in speech more often este/esta) — this, near me: aquest telèfon. Aqueix/aqueixa (in speech eixe/eixa) — that, nearer to you: eixa clau que tens? Aquell/aquella — that one, far from us both: aquella casa.
What does it look like in a Valencian example sentence?
“Aquest telèfon és el meu, aquell és el teu” — This phone is mine, that one over there is yours. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.