Articles
English has no grammatical gender and articles never change for case. There are exactly three forms: the, a, an. The difficulty is not the form — it is when to use one at all.
The forms
| spelling | sound | |
|---|---|---|
| the before a consonant sound | the cat, the house, the university (/juː/) | /ðə/ |
| the before a vowel sound | the apple, the hour (silent h) | /ðiː/ |
| a before a consonant sound | a cat, a university, a European | /ə/ |
| an before a vowel sound | an apple, an hour, an MP (/ɛm/) | /ən/ |
The choice is by sound, not spelling: a university (/j/), an hour (silent h), an FBI agent (/ɛf/).
Definite vs indefinite
- a/an = one of many, not yet identified: I saw a dog.
- the = the listener knows which one: I saw the dog again. Also unique things: the sun, the Internet, the first time.
- Ø (no article) for plural and uncountable nouns in general: Dogs bark. Water is wet. I like music.
That last line is where speakers of French, Spanish, Italian and German stumble: English drops the article for generalities where they keep it.
| they say | English |
|---|---|
| J'aime le chocolat. / Me gusta el chocolate. | I like Ø chocolate. |
| La vie est belle. / Das Leben ist schön. | Ø Life is beautiful. |
| Les enfants aiment jouer. | Ø Children like to play. |
Generic singulars keep it: The tiger is endangered. / A tiger is a big cat. (both mean tigers in general).
No article with…
- Languages, most countries, cities: Ø French, Ø France, Ø Paris (but the United States, the Netherlands, the UK — plurals/“of” names).
- Meals, days, months: at Ø breakfast, on Ø Monday, in Ø May.
- Institutions used for their purpose: go to Ø school / Ø church / Ø bed / Ø work / Ø prison — but go to the school to pick someone up.
- Possessives already determine: my car (never the my car).
- Professions get a: She is a doctor. (Spanish/Italian/German drop it here.)
Quantity words behave like articles
some, any, no, every, each, this, that, my, your… — one slot, one word: some bread, any questions, no idea, every day.
Same chapter in: French · Spanish · German · Italian · Georgian · Mandarin Chinese · Cantonese · Malay