Kia (De Adj)

Situations

S1: Little Chi went to the zoo with her mother. She continuously asked her mother:

Mẹ ơi! Con kia là con gì?
(Mother! What animal is that over there?)

In this situation, kia is a demonstrative that refers to people / things that are far from the speaker and the listener but can still be seen.

S2: The couple said good-bye to each other. The girl said:

Em hy vọng một ngày kia anh sẽ hiểu em!
(I hope one of these days you will understand me!)

In this situation, kia indicates a point of time in the future (compared to the time of speaking) which is indefinite, but considered as something that can be imagined.

Definition

Kia, as a demonstrative, is placed after a noun to refer to people / things that are far from the speaker and the listener, but can be seen. Kia also can refer to a point of time which is indefinite (but can be imagined).

  • Kia belongs to the demonstrative group: này, nọ, ấy, đấy, đó. Cf. ấy2 (p. 13), đấy2 (p. 133).

  • kia and ấy, này: Kia and ấy are similar in meaning, but they are used differently. Kia correlates with này, but ấy doesn't. Cf:

[1] Cái này của em, còn cái kia của anh.
    (This is mine, and that is yours.)
[2] Trước kia / ấy anh sống ở đâu?
    (Where did you live before?)