Articles: a, an, the
When a singular noun needs a or an, when the listener already knows which one and you need the, and when English uses no article at all.
When you use it
Almost every singular countable noun in English needs a small word in front of it. A and an introduce one thing that the listener does not yet know: I need a pen. The points to a thing that the listener can identify, because it has been mentioned, because it is the only one, or because the situation makes it clear: Close the door. Plural and uncountable nouns used in a general sense take no article at all: Cats sleep a lot.
How it is formed
| Form | Use it when | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | one thing, not yet known, next word begins with a consonant sound | a car, a house, a university |
| an | one thing, not yet known, next word begins with a vowel sound | an apple, an egg, an hour |
| the | the listener knows which one | the car we saw, the sun, the door |
| no article | plural or uncountable noun in a general sense | cats, water, music |
The choice between a and an depends on sound, not spelling. University starts with the letter u but with the sound /j/, so it takes a. Hour starts with the letter h but the h is silent, so it takes an. Say the word aloud and listen to the first sound.
A and an only go with singular countable nouns. You cannot say a water or a cats. If you want one unit of something uncountable, you name the unit: a glass of water, a piece of advice.
The works with any noun, singular, plural or uncountable. What matters is that both you and the listener know which thing you mean. The most common cases are these.
| Reason the listener knows | Example |
|---|---|
| it was mentioned before | Tom bought a car. The car is red. |
| there is only one | the sun, the moon, the government |
| the situation makes it obvious | Can you open the window? |
| you say which one | the shop on the corner |
No article is used when you talk about things in general with a plural or uncountable noun: Cats sleep a lot, Water is cheap here, I like music. There is also no article in a few fixed phrases with places you go to for their normal purpose: go to school, go to work, go home, be in hospital, at night.
Examples
- I need a pen. Do you have one?
- Anna works in an office near the station.
- Tom bought a car last week. The car is red.
- Can you close the door?
- I have an egg and a banana for breakfast.
- Cats sleep a lot.
- The sun is very bright today.
- It takes an hour to get there.
Common mistakes
- ✗ I have dog. She works in office.
✓ I have a dog. She works in an office.
Ukrainian and Russian have no articles. Собака alone does the whole job, so the article feels like an extra word with no meaning. In English a singular countable noun almost never stands alone. If you are not sure which article to use, a or an is still far better than nothing. - ✗ Can you give me the pen? (any pen will do)
✓ Can you give me a pen?
The tells the listener that you both know which pen. If there are ten pens on the desk and any of them is fine, use a. Use the only when there is one obvious pen, for example the one the listener is holding. - ✗ a apple, a hour, an university
✓ an apple, an hour, a university
The rule is about the first sound, not the first letter. Apple begins with a vowel sound, hour begins with a silent h and then a vowel sound, and university begins with the consonant sound /j/. - ✗ The life is hard. The cats are clever animals.
✓ Life is hard. Cats are clever animals.
Learners who have just learned the often put it everywhere. A general statement about all cats or about life as a whole takes no article. The cats would mean some specific cats you both know. - ✗ She is teacher. He is engineer.
✓ She is a teacher. He is an engineer.
In Ukrainian and Russian a job is named without any extra word: Вона вчителька / Она учительница. In English a job after be is a singular countable noun, so it takes a or an.
Try it
- I want ___ apple.
- Tom has ___ new phone.
- Where is ___ bathroom, please?
- Anna is ___ engineer.
- We waited for ___ hour.