Attitude With the Far Article

Three articles, three distances. The ordinary article -от just says "the", the near article -ов means "this ... here", and the far article -он means "that ... over there" (see the three articles and the far article). The far article is much less common than the ordinary one.

Distance in the mind. Near and far are not only about metres. Speakers use the near forms for their own surroundings, as in во градов (here in our town), and often use the far forms for what feels foreign, unwelcome or unimportant. That is why the far article often sounds annoyed, dismissive or scornful:

• Што сака човекон? (What does that man want?) The speaker does not trust him.
• Пак викаат комшиине. (The neighbours are shouting again.) The speaker is fed up.
• Не сакам ни да слушнам за работана. (I do not even want to hear about that business.) The speaker wants nothing to do with it.

The tone comes from the situation. The far article is not an insult by itself. When you really point at something far away, it is neutral: Дај ми ја чашана од полицата. Your voice and the situation decide whether it sounds cold. It can even sound fond: people who have long lived in Skopje call the old Stone Bridge мостон. To stay polite about a person who is present, use the ordinary article or a name: Кој е господинот? (Who is the gentleman?)

Forms. Change the т of the ordinary article to н: човекот → човекон, куќата → куќана, детето → детено, комшиите → комшиине. Masculine nouns that end in -а, such as судија and колега, take -на: судијана, колегана. When an adjective comes first, it carries the article: новиот телефон → новион телефон.

With оној. In careful Macedonian, a pointing word and an article do not go together: say оној човек or човекон. In colloquial speech you will also hear both at once, оној човекон. This is outside the standard, and it usually sounds even more scornful. Compare овој, тој and оној.