English Grammar Lesson: When to Use A, An, and The Correctly

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📘 Lesson: Articles in English (A, An, The)

Articles are small words we put before nouns. In English, we have two types of articles:

1️⃣ Indefinite Articles → A / AN

We use a and an when we talk about something not specific or mentioned for the first time.

✔ A

Used before words that start with a consonant sound:
b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.

Examples:

  • a book

  • a teacher

  • a car

  • a house

  • a dog

✔ AN

Used before words that start with a vowel sound:
a, e, i, o, u
(or silent “h”)

Examples:

  • an apple

  • an egg

  • an umbrella

  • an orange

  • an idea

  • an hour (silent h)

When do we use A/AN?

✔ Talking about something for the first time
✔ Talking about one thing
✔ Talking about a non-specific thing

Examples:

  • I saw a man in the street. (We don’t know him)

  • She wants to buy a new phone.

  • He is an engineer.

  • I need an answer.

2️⃣ Definite Article → THE

We use THE when we talk about something:

✔ Specific
✔ Known to the speaker and listener
✔ Unique (only one exists)
✔ Something we mentioned before

Examples: When to use THE

✔ When both people know which thing

  • Close the door. (the only door in the room)

  • Can you pass me the salt?

✔ When we talk about something mentioned before

  • I saw a dog. The dog was very big.

✔ Unique things (only one)

  • the sun

  • the moon

  • the sky

  • the internet

✔ Rivers, seas, oceans, deserts, groups of islands

  • the Nile

  • the Atlantic Ocean

  • the Sahara

  • the Philippines

❌ When NOT to use THE

We do not use “the” with:

❌ Names of people
❌ Cities and countries (except: the USA, the UK, the UAE)
❌ Languages
❌ School subjects
❌ General things (plural nouns)

Examples:

  • I love English. (not the English)

  • She studies math.

  • Morocco is a beautiful country.

  • Cars are expensive. (speaking generally)

✅ A LOT OF EXAMPLES (To Understand Perfectly)

A / AN — Examples

  1. I have a pen.

  2. She is eating an apple.

  3. He bought a new jacket.

  4. I need an umbrella.

  5. They saw a movie yesterday.

  6. She wants to be an artist.

  7. We stayed in a hotel.

  8. He is looking for a job.

  9. It’s an honor to meet you.

  10. I saw a bird in the garden.

THE — Examples

  1. Please open the window.

  2. I cleaned the kitchen.

  3. The teacher is very kind. (we both know which teacher)

  4. I put the keys on the table.

  5. The sun rises in the east.

  6. She visited the doctor yesterday.

  7. He lives near the beach.

  8. I finished the book you gave me.

  9. They walked in the rain.

  10. The internet is slow today.

✅ Mixed Examples (A / An / The)

  1. I have a friend who lives in the city.

  2. She bought an ice-cream and sat in the park.

  3. We saw a car. The car was very old.

  4. He wants to be an engineer.

  5. The children are playing in the garden.

  6. I need a dictionary.

  7. The dictionary on the table is mine.

  8. She met a woman. The woman was French.

  9. I want an orange from the bag.

  10. He took a picture of the mountains.