The person with whom you had a romantic relationship in the past is called an ex.
The term ex can be used as a noun or as a prefix ( ex- ), according to what is detailed by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary . In the first case, its use occurs in colloquial language.
The person with whom you had a romantic relationship in the past is called an ex . As you can see, the concept works as a contraction of ex-partner ( ex-boyfriend , ex-girlfriend , ex-husband , ex-wife , etc.).
What is an ex
Typically, someone with whom you were in a relationship for a considerable time is called an ex. If a woman dates a man twice and then stops seeing him, she most likely does not consider him an ex, since that bond was not consolidated.
When a couple gets married and later separates, they always talk about exes. On the other hand, in the case of courtships , the use of the word depends on different factors. It even has to do with subjective issues or with the speakers' preferred modes of expression.
Types of relationship
Once two people end a marriage or courtship , they may remain in contact or no longer see or speak to each other. Many times, exes are forced to maintain a relationship since they have children together .
It is important, especially when there are descendants, that the exes manage to develop a harmonious or respectful bond. In any case, it is not uncommon for the situation to be the opposite: sometimes Justice must even intervene to establish guidelines and establish agreements.
There are cases of individuals who want to return to their ex (that is, re-form the dissolved couple). Of course, the possibility of recovering the union is tied to the wishes of the other party. Another possibility is that the ex forges a new bond with each other, but not one of marriage or courtship, but of friendship .
The prefix ex- indicates that someone or something was and is now no longer: "Barack Obama is a former president of the United States."
The prefix ex-
As we indicated above, the RAE recognizes ex- as a prefix with several uses. On the one hand, it can refer to that or that which was and which is no longer so today ; From there comes the meaning of ex or ex-partner.
In this sense, we can refer to a former footballer , a former president or a former combatant , for example : “The former French footballer will be the new coach of Real Madrid” , “The conference will be headed by the former Spanish president José María Aznar” , “In a new anniversary of the war, the Malvinas ex-combatants were honored with an act in Congress.”
The condition of ex implies no longer being . Let's see what happened with Michael Jordan : the American was a professional basketball player between 1984 and 1993 , when he announced his retirement from the activity and became a former player . However, after one season , he returned to the NBA , once again becoming an active player. In 1998 he retired for the second time and was a former player until 2001 , when he resumed his career. Finally, in 2003 he abandoned professional basketball permanently, and from then on he was a former basketball player .
The prefix ex- can also indicate that something is located beyond or outside , taking into account time or space ( "extraction" , "extension" ). Furthermore, it can mark deprivation or even lack a concrete meaning in certain derivatives.