Articles: a, an, theA1–B1
A and an for one thing, the for a thing both people know, and no article for things in general. The first sound decides a or an (an hour, a university), and general plurals and uncountable nouns take no article: I like dogs.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA1–B1
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Form | a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound | a book / an apple |
| a / an | one thing, a job, or a first mention | She's a doctor. |
| the | a thing we both know, or already mentioned | There's a cat. The cat is black. |
| the | the only one; superlatives and ordinals | the sun / the best / the first time |
| A2the | rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges | the Thames / the Atlantic / the Alps |
| A2the | countries with a plural name, Kingdom or States | the UK / the USA / the Netherlands |
| B1the | the + adjective means a group of people | the rich / the young |
| No article | plural and uncountable nouns in general; meals; names | I like dogs. / We have lunch at two. |
| A2No article | home, work, school, bed; transport after by | go home / at work / by bus |
| B1No article | hospital, prison, church for their purpose; the for the building | He's in hospital. |
| Trap | the first sound decides, not the letter | a university / an hour |
| Trap | most countries take no article | I live in Spain. |
OverviewA1
- a / an go only with singular countable nouns. See Countable and uncountable.
- the goes with all nouns: singular, plural and uncountable.
Form: a or anA1
| Next word starts with | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a consonant sound | a | a book / a big apple |
| a vowel sound | an | an apple / an old book |
- The first sound decides, not the letter: an hour /ˈaʊə/, a university /juːnɪˈvɜːsəti/.
- The article goes before the adjective, so the adjective decides: an old car, a new car.
Pronunciation: a, an, theA1
| Word | Before | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | consonant sound | /ə/ | a book /ə ˈbʊk/ |
| an | vowel sound | /ən/ | an egg /ən ˈeɡ/ |
| the | consonant sound | /ðə/ | the book /ðə ˈbʊk/ |
| the | vowel sound | /ði/ | the egg /ði ˈeɡ/ |
- Articles are weak and unstressed: the stress falls on the noun.
Use: a / anA1–A2
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| one thing, any one | I have a car. |
| first mention; then the | There's a cat. The cat is black. |
| jobs | She's a doctor. |
| what something is | It's an orange. |
| A2rate: per | twice a week / £3 a kilo |
| A2exclamations with what | What a nice day! |
Use: theA1–B1
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| we both know which | Close the door, please. |
| the only one | the sun / the world |
| superlatives and ordinals | the best / the first time |
| A2musical instruments | She plays the piano. (US: often plays piano) |
| A2rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges | the Thames / the Atlantic / the Alps |
| A2countries with Kingdom, States, Republic or a plural name | the UK / the USA / the Netherlands |
| B1the + adjective: a group of people | the rich / the young |
Use: no articleA1–B1
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| plural nouns in general | I like dogs. |
| uncountable nouns in general | Life is hard. / I love music. |
| meals | We have lunch at two. |
| languages, school subjects, sports | I speak Spanish. / I play football. |
| names, most countries and cities | Mr Smith lives in London. |
| A2home, work, school, bed | go home / at work / go to bed |
| A2transport after by | by bus / by train |
| B1hospital, prison, church, university for their main purpose | He's in hospital. (US: in the hospital) |
B1
- For the building itself, use the: I went to the hospital to visit him.
Typical errorsA1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| a apple | an apple | an before a vowel sound |
| an university | a university | university starts with /j/ |
| I live in the Spain. | I live in Spain. | most countries: no article |