wancan / waɗancan

That and Those

Level 1

The distal forms include wancan, waccan, waɗancan.

How It Works

Compare Wannan gida ne “This is a house” with Wancan gida ne “That is a house”. The noun and identification frame stay constant while the pointing perspective changes. Waɗancan selects several referents.

Learn feminine singular waccan alongside masculine wancan and plural waɗancan. Basic feminine identification takes ce; masculine and plural identification take ne. A demonstrative can precede a noun within a larger subject phrase, followed by an appropriate subject-TAM marker.

Distal pointing does not prescribe a measured distance. Speakers can distinguish an object farther away or a referent treated as separate in the conversation. Perspective helps determine the choice. The forms illustrated here establish a useful standard pattern without making every regional or conversational variant an error. Match plural reference with the plural demonstrative.

Examples (4)

  1. Wancan gida ne.

    That is a house.

    Masculine singular distal identification.

  2. Waccan hula ce.

    That is a cap.

    Feminine singular distal identification.

  3. Waɗancan kujeru ne.

    Those are chairs.

    Plural distal identification.

  4. Waɗancan ɗalibai sun zo daga Kano.

    Those students came from Kano.

    Distal demonstrative inside a plural subject.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

wancan / waɗancanLevel 1That and Those

Learn This First

Contrast the established nearby demonstratives with the corresponding distant singular and plural forms.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

wáncàn