Do you know when to use a and the in English?
These little words are called articles. They can be difficult to use correctly, because they are used in different ways in different languages, and in some languages they don’t exist at all!
The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Josie and Mark talk about when to use a and the to talk about general and specific things.
So, let’s get started and look at a and the. Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?
‘A’ and ‘the’ for singular nouns
‘A’ for singular, non-specific things
We use the article a in front of singular nouns. A is an indefinite article, and we use it to describe something that is not specific, or something general. Let’s look at some examples:
I saw a dog yesterday.
= this is not a specific dog, and it’s the first time I have mentioned it
Can you give me a pen, please?
= I am not asking for a specific pen, I just need any pen available to write something
A cheetah can run very fast.
= we are not talking about one specific cheetah, we are saying that, in general, cheetahs can run fast
Watch out! If the noun begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) we use an instead of a. For example:
She picked an apple from the tree.
You have to take an aeroplane to get to the USA.
‘The’ for singular, specific things
We can also use the article the in front of singular nouns. The is a definite article, and we use it to describe something specific, instead of something general. Let’s look at some examples:
I saw a dog yesterday. The dog was cute.
= the second time I mention the dog, I use the, because we know which specific dog I am talking about – it’s the dog that I saw yesterday
Did you watch the match last night?
= Mark and Josie both follow the same sport or team, so when Josie asks this, they both know which specific match she is talking about
The restaurant next to my apartment is really good.
= I am talking about a specific restaurant – I know exactly where it is
‘The’ for unique things
We also use the for things of which there is only one. These things are unique:
the sky
e.g. The sky is blue.
the Internet
e.g. I’ll look it up on the Internet.
the Earth
e.g. The Earth orbits the sun.
the sun
e.g. The sun rises in the east.
the moon
e.g. The moon is beautiful tonight.
‘A’ for jobs and professions
We use a when we talk about someone’s job. For example:
I’m a teacher.
He is a doctor.
Are you a nurse?
‘The’ or no article for plural nouns
How’s it going so far? Get some more tea or coffee if you need to! Remember, in front of plural nouns we never use a. A is only for singular nouns. For plural nouns we use the or no article at all.
No article for plural, general things
When we talk about general or non-specific things in the plural form, we don’t use an article. Here are some examples:
I love horror films.
= I love horror films in general, all horror films
Do you have pets?
= Josie doesn’t know if Mark has pets, so she can’t be specific when she asks this question
No article for uncountable, general things
Uncountable nouns are things that we don’t count individually, and which we think of as one mass. Some examples are water, rice, pasta, time and information. Let’s look at some examples:
I’m thirsty, I need to drink water.
= I don’t want some specific water, I just want any available water
I need information about the project.
= I’m not asking for some specific information, I just want to know something about the project
Pasta tastes delicious with tomato sauce.
= I am saying that all pasta tastes delicious with tomato sauce, and I am not talking about a specific pasta dish that I have eaten
‘The’ for specific things (plural and uncountable)
As we mentioned earlier, when we talk about specific, singular things, we use the article the. We also use the for specific things when they are plural or uncountable. These examples are all connected to previous examples in this blog post, so you can scroll up and compare them if you need to:
The horror films that I watched last week were very scary.
The dogs that I know are friendly.
The information that you gave me is clear.
The water that comes from my tap is delicious.
Let’s review
If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Mark and Josie on The Coffee Break English Show. We will release more episodes soon, about some more useful topics! Subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to learn when the next episode is available.
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So, keep practising the and a! Remember that all English learners make mistakes, but people can usually still understand you. It’s all part of the language-learning journey.
Happy Coffee Breaking!
