Pointing Things Out in the Workshop
In a gemology workshop, you will often need to compare stones, pointing out "this" diamond versus "that" ruby. While dieser means "this" (referring to something close), use the demonstrative pronoun jener to mean "that" (for objects farther away) or to create a direct contrast.
Jener, Jene, Jenes
Like dieser, jener changes its ending depending on the gender and case of the noun it describes or replaces. In the Nominative case (when it is the subject of the sentence), the endings match the definite articles (der, die, das):
| Gender | Definite Article | Demonstrative Pronoun ("That") |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | jener |
| Feminine | die | jene |
| Neuter | das | jenes |
| Plural | die | jene |
You can use jener directly in front of a noun (like "that gemstone"), or on its own to replace a noun you have already mentioned (meaning "that one").
| This gemstone is expensive, but that one is flawless. | Dieser Edelstein ist teuer, aber jener ist lupenrein. |
| That diamond sparkles in the light. | Jener Diamant funkelt im Licht. |
For feminine nouns and plural nouns, use jene. For neuter nouns, use jenes.
| This color is dark, but that one is light. | Diese Farbe ist dunkel, aber jene ist hell. |
| That material is difficult to cut. | Jenes Material ist schwierig zu schleifen. |
| Those rubies sparkle red. | Jene Rubine funkeln rot. |
Jener fits seamlessly into complex sentence structures, like comparisons, without changing standard word order rules.
| The better the cut, the more expensive that diamond is. | Je besser der Schliff, desto teurer ist jener Diamant. |
| The better the cut, the more those diamonds sparkle. | Je besser der Schliff, desto mehr funkeln jene Diamanten. |