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Should "this is over there" be correct as well? Or is there a separate distinction? I'm not confident enough to report it myself, haha.
여기 저기 거기 is like here there there. The last two refer to the things closest to you in relation to another person.
They're not using space to demonstrate spacial thinking. That's the problem. Even a couple pictures of someone pointing would make this worthwhile.
I'm wondering what an example of using this sentence would be? maybe it's more of a common expression in Korean than English
Here's a scenario: You're shopping at the grocery store. A man approaches you and points to the carrots in your basket. He asks, "Where did you find those?" "This is there," you reply while motioning towards the display near him. He realizes his oversight and thanks you for your assistance.
Surely in English you'd answer, "They are there." Or to, "Where is one like that?" ~ "It is there."
What I've long wondered, and it goes for Japanese too, is whether it's more proper to use 이것 for something you've just mentioned and 그것 for something the person/people you're speaking with has/have just mentioned. They function as pronouns too, no?
I believe that the main problem in your case is the '이은'. 이 alone means 'this'. 이 does not represent a matter by itself, therefore using this as a noun is wrong. 것 could mean 'one' (not the number), hence 이것 would mean 'this one'. However, 'this one' can be shortened to simply 'this' Then again, I could be wrong.
The demonstratives (이, 그, 저) are incomplete without a companion word like 것 (thing), 쪽 (way), 편 (direction), 만큼(amount), 분 (person), and several others. These words provide context for your reader/listener.
것 means "thing" so 이것 literally means "this thing", but you'd also use 이것 for "this" in English whenever the word "this" in English is a noun as in that case, we say "this" in English to mean "this thing"
I said this to myself with a question mark at the end because the sentence was so vague I thought I was contradicting myself. Oof
