[For the following, please assume neutral case always to make it simpler.]
I was lucky enough to grow up in a Spanish-German bilingual household, and as such am fluent in both languages. This is important context for my question.
I'm currently struggling with how to convey, when teaching German to Spanish speakers, the (subtle) differences between the three demonstrative pronouns I know of in German: das, dieses, and jenes. You see, in Spanish, we also have three forms, and they each carry a different, not so subtle, connotation of distance from the speaker; there is one form ("esto") which implies that the noun being replaced is close - as in I'm holding it, or I could reach out and grab it.
The second form ("eso") implies that the noun is close enough to be easily pointed at and viewed comfortably - at viewing distance, not necessarily grabbing distance.
The third form ("aquello") is less frequently used, but still common and it implies the noun to be "over there" - that might be squinting distance, or even out of viewing distance.
My problem is that I would like to map these three connotations to the German demonstrative pronouns, so that Spanish speaking users can easily learn when to appropiately use each one (by knowing which one they would use in Spanish, and taking the equivalent German pronoun).
According to my understanding, I'f im speaking about three objects of the same kind, "dieses" is the one I hold in my hand, "das" is the one that's a few paces/meters away, and finally "jenes" is the one that is a bit further away. I am however worried that because my Spanish language skills developed first (due to a stronger bond with my Spanish-speaking parent), I'm projecting too much of the Spanish connotation onto the German words, and that a "purebred" native German wouldn't agree with me.
Do you consider my assignment of "distance" (which can also be figurative, like how far you are from a goal) to be valid, or does it seem a little off to you?