The article a, an, the in English: examples of use, rules. Rules for using the indefinite article

Articles are the main determiners of names nouns. Before using any noun, you need to decide whether it is definite or indefinite, i.e. you need to imagine what kind of subject we are talking about: a specific one or any one.

In English, an article is almost always used before nouns:

Articles a And an are called uncertain article (the Indefinite Article)
The is called certain the Definite Article

Let's consider three cases: when not is used before a noun definite article, when the definite article is used, and when the article is not used before a noun.

Indefinite article

There are two types of indefinite article:

a- used before words beginning with a consonant.
an- used before words starting with a vowel.

A noun with an indefinite article represents the name of an object in general, rather than the name of a specific object. For example, a student evokes the idea of a student in general, that is, of a higher education student educational institution, but not about a specific person.

The meaning of the indefinite article can be expressed in Russian with words such as one, one of, some, any, some, every, any, each.

The indefinite article is used with singular countable nouns. In plural not used, sometimes replaced by indefinite pronouns some (several) any (any, everyone).

Definite article

The definite article has a single form: the. Individualizing article the derived from the demonstrative pronoun that- That.

Absence of article: zero article

No indefinite article

The indefinite article is not used:

before plural nouns
an article - articles

abstract nouns
imagination - imagination
nouns we are real, uncountable(nouns that cannot be counted, for example, you cannot say: three waters).
water (water), salt (salt), tea (tea)

If there is a definition before a noun, then the article is placed before this definition:
a story
an interesting story (interesting story)

Substitution rule

Use of the indefinite article

1. Indefinite article is used before a noun when it only names an object, classifies it as a representative of a certain type of object, but does not specifically highlight it.

a table - any table (namely a table, not a chair)
a chair - chair

2. when mentioning an object or person for the first time

That"s a pretty girl. - Beautiful girl

3. in a general sense:
A noun with an indefinite article in this meaning means: any, everyone.

A cow gives milk.
Any cow gives milk.

3. with professions:

My Dad is a Doctor. — My dad is a doctor.
She "s an architect. - She is an architect.

4. with some quantity expressions:

a pair - a pair
a little - a little
a few - several

5. in exclamatory sentences: before a singular countable noun after the word what.

What a beautiful day! - What a wonderful day!
What a pity! - What a pity!

Use of the definite article

Definite article is posed if the object or person in question is known to both the speaker and the listener (from the context, the environment, or as previously mentioned in this speech).

It is a chair
The chair is at the table - the chair is near the table

Try putting the word this or that in front of the noun. If the meaning of what is being expressed does not change, then the definite article must be placed before the noun, and if it changes, then the indefinite article must be placed before the singular noun (if it is countable), and not at all before the plural noun.

1. Repeatedly mentioned when it is clear from the previous text what it is about:

The girl was beautiful. — (This) Girl was beautiful.

2. Clear in the situation, when it is clear what/who is meant:

The lesson is over. - The lesson is over.

3. Having an individuating definition, that is, a definition that distinguishes this person or object from a number of similar ones.

3.1. Definition, naming the sign :
This is the house that Jack built. - This is the house that Jack built
3.2. Definition, expressed as an adjective in the superlative form e
This is the shortest way to the river - This is the most shortcut to the river
3.3. Definition, expressed as an ordinal number
He missed the first lecture. — He missed the first lecture
3.4. Definition, expressed by proper noun
the Bristol road - the road to Bristol.
3.5. Definitions, expressed in words:
The stop next is ours. - The next stop is ours.

4. Before singular nouns:

the sun - the sun
the moon - moon
the Earth - Earth
the floor - floor (one in the room)
the sea - sea (the only one in the area)

5. Before adjectives and participles that have turned into nouns, with a plural meaning:

the strong- strong, the old- old people, the young- youth,

Absence of article (zero article)

1. If there is a pronoun before a noun or nouns in the possessive case.
My room is large - My room is large.

2. A noun is used without an article in the plural in the following cases:

2.1. when in singular in front of him there would be an indefinite article:
I saw a letter on the table. — I saw a letter on the table.
I saw letters on the table. — I saw letters on the table.

3. Uncountable real nouns.
water water, milk milk, chalk chalk, sugar sugar, tea tea, snow snow, grass grass, wool wool, meat meat and others.

4. Uncountable abstract nouns (abstract concepts).
weather weather, music music, power strength, knowledge knowledge, art art, history history, mathematics mathematics, light light, love love, life life, time time
I like music - I love music.
But at the same time, some abstract nouns that express a type of quality or state can be used with the indefinite article.
He got a good education. He received a good education.

In English, plural nouns may be preceded by a definite article, the pronoun some (any), or the determiner may be absent.

Rules for using the pronoun some

If one of the words can be meaningfully placed in front of a Russian noun: several, a certain amount, some, some before the corresponding noun in English sentence stands for the pronoun some (any).
If none of these words can be placed before a Russian noun, then there is no determiner before the corresponding noun in an English sentence.

I bought some apples yesterday - I bought apples yesterday (several, a certain number of apples)

In English - unlike Russian - special words - articles - are widely used. The article and the rules for its use in English are presented below in examples to make it easier to understand required material. In English there are two articles: the definite the and uncertain a (an) . The article is generally placed only before nouns. The indefinite article applies exclusively to singular countable nouns, but the definite article can be applied to various singular and plural nouns, whether they are countable or not.

First, let's remember in what cases the article is not used. The article is not used if the noun is preceded by (one, two, six, etc), a possessive or (this, that, my, our etc.), another noun in the possessive case (my father's, Mary's etc.), or the negation “no” (Not not!). Examples:

My room is not big, but comfortable - My room is small but comfortable.
There are two boys in the yard - there are two boys in the yard.
I have no brother - I don’t have a brother.

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Note: if a noun in the possessive case functions as an adjective, the use of an article is possible, for example: Paul is a man's name (male name). Paula is a woman's name (female name). It's a children's bicycle(children's bike).

The article is not used with uncountable nouns denoting an indefinite amount of substance or an abstract concept:

I don’t like tea, I prefer coffee. — I don’t like tea, I prefer coffee ( tea, coffee- at all)
Friendship is one of the most important things in my life. — Friendship is one of the most important things in my life (friendship is an abstract concept)

The article is not used with names of sports:

I am fond of football, and my sister prefers badminton. — I love football, and my sister prefers badminton.

Also, the article is not used with proper names (except for some geographical names, which will be discussed below).

Indefinite article "a"

The indefinite article is “a” / “an” - this is not an independent article, but a form of the indefinite that is used before nouns that begin with a vowel sound: an apple, an orange.

The forms a and an are remnants of the Old English word for "one", so The indefinite article is used only with singular nouns.

The indefinite article is used in the following cases:

When the item is mentioned for the first time. For example, I live in a house.
When designating a profession or occupation. For example, She is a teacher. My friend is a student.
After: This is, That is, It is, There is. For example, This is a computer. There is a rose in the vase.
If an adjective characterizing it is used with a noun, in such cases the article is placed before the adjective. Example: This is a flower. This is a red flower.
Remember the use of the indefinite article in sentences of the following type

- What a beautiful color!
- What a tasty cake!
- What a good girl!

The definite article "the"

The definite article is used in the following cases:

If we are talking about a specific subject that we have already talked about, or we understand from the context what we are talking about. For example, Yesterday I saw a film. The film was not interesting.
With items that are one of a kind - Thesun, thewind, themoontheearth
After . For example, There is a cat in front of the monitor.
C – the smallest – the smallest, the quickest – the fastest
C, for example: the first book, the fifth floor (BUT: if the ordinal number indicates a number, the article is not used: Lesson 7, Bus 15, page 45)
With cardinal directions: In the north; in the south; in the east; in the west
With the surname - if we are talking about the whole family - the Ivanovs - Ivanovs, the Smiths - Smiths
In stable phrases: In the morning; in the evening; in the afternoon; to the cinema/theatre; to the shop/market; at the cinema/the theater; at the shop/the market

Definite article with geographical names

The definite article must be used with the following geographical names:

seas - the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea
oceans - the Pacific ocean
rivers - the Voilga, the Nile
channels – the English Channel
bays, straits - the Gulf of Mexico, the Bosphorus Straits
archipelagos - the Seichelles
deserts - the Sahara, the Gobi
mountain ranges - the Alps
countries, if the name contains the word Republic, Federation, Kingdom, it is in the plural (t he Netherlands) or abbreviated as (the USA, the UK)

The article is not used with the names of countries, lakes, mountains (peaks), islands, cities, continents, streets, squares, airports. Exceptions:

theGambia— Gambia,
the Hague - The Hague

The definite article is also used with the names of hotels, cinemas, theaters, newspapers and magazines.

We have reflected the basic rules for using the article. There are many nuances, and the scope of one article does not allow mentioning everything. But we have prepared another video tutorial about some difficult cases article usage:

We hope that the above will help you understand articles in English and use them correctly in your speech, but do not forget that repetition is the mother of learning, do not be lazy to revise the rules as often as possible.

The so-called German words with articles are nouns (nouns). All German (German) words with articles (art.) in modern language must be written with a capital letter. This tradition historically developed a long time ago and distinguishes it. against the background of other languages. Once upon a time, only the name of the Almighty was written with a capital letter, then - all kinds of rulers, representatives of the nobility, officials, and in the end there was a transition to writing all beings. with a capital letter. This rule was finally legalized by Duden at the very beginning of the twentieth century. Art. in it. there are only seven in the language, six of them are used with nouns in the singular (Singular), and one is used in the plural (Plural). In Singular, the name can have an indefinite or definite art. depending on the gender (gender), of which there are only three: middle, female and male: beetle – ein Käfer / der Käfer (male), caterpillar – eine Raupe / die Raupe, living organism, living creature – ein Lebewesen / das Lebewesen. In the plural, there is one common function word for all Germans. words with art. – definite article die: die Käfer, die Raupen, die Lebewesen. Nouns that are used with an indefinite function word in Singular do not have one at all in Plural.

Art. otherwise called service words, since they are not independent, do not convey any meaning, but simply “serve” the nouns that follow them, indicating their gender and number, as well as the case in which the name appears. Art. inextricably linked with him. noun, which is a significant part of speech, denoting animate or inanimate, proper or common, concrete or abstract objects, properties, actions, states, characteristics, processes, etc. A noun always answers one of the questions: wer? (who?) or was? (What).

Examples of German words with articles:

(wer?) (der) Wolfgang – Wolfgang (proper name, animate, masculine)
(wer?) der Angeklagte - defendant (common noun, animate, masculine)
(was?) (das) Novgorod – (city) Novgorod (proper name, inanimate, middle r.)
(was?) das Gestell - stand (common noun, specific object, middle p.)
(was?) die Sucht – passion, mania (common noun, abstract, feminine)
(was?) die Tournee - tour (common noun, abstract, feminine)

German words with art. can be abstract (presence – die Anwesenheit) and specific (stool – der Hocker). To abstract nouns. one can include all kinds of feelings, states, signs, actions, properties, etc. expressed by names. (mistrust - das Misstrauen, embarrassment - die Verwirrung, sloppiness - die Schlampigkeit, walking - der Spaziergang, hypnotic state - die Hypnose, afternoon - der Nachmittag). Concrete nouns are divided into proper nouns (Milky Way – die Milchstrasse) and common nouns (remote control – die Fernbedienung). Proper names include surnames, first names, names of various geographical, space objects, etc. (The Hague (city) – der Haag). Common nouns name specifically existing objects of the surrounding world as individually (button, key – die Taste), and in total (mammals – die Sä ugetiere), as well as all kinds of substances (nickel silver - das Neusilber) and products (lemonade – die Limonade).

German words with articles = im. noun necessarily demonstrate such grammatical categories as case, gender and number. Rod im. noun not in all cases coincides with the gender of similar entities. in Russian and can be masculine (der Schä ferhund – shepherd, gender does not match when translated), female (die Geldgier - selfishness, greed) and average (das Hü hnchen – hen, chick, gender does not match when translated).

In general, the category of a number is determined by the fact which group it belongs to. noun – to countable names (which can be counted) or to uncountable names (which cannot be counted). Most countable nouns. can be used in singular and plural. (thief: der Dieb – die Diebe, edge, edge: die Kante – die Kanten, foreign word: das Fremdwort – die Fremdwö rter), however a number of nouns. is used only in one of these numbers, and such cases also do not always coincide in it. and Russian languages.

German Uncountable nouns are almost always used only in the singular and include:

minerals and chemical elements: potassium – das Kalium, mica – der Glimmer;
a variety of plant and animal products: butter– die Butter, cotton (raw material) – die Baumwolle, oil – das Erdöl;
all kinds of abstract nouns: nakedness - die Nacktheit, friendliness – die Freundlichkeit, astronomy – die Sternkunde;
many nouns that have a global collective meaning: fauna, animal world— die Tierwelt, solar system- das Sonnensystem, stagehands - das Bühnenpersonal;
proper names, if they name someone specific or something specific or unique: (mountain) Kazbek - der Kasbek, North Sea - die Nordsee, Thomas Mann - Thomas Mann.

But, as always, there are exceptions, for example: die Edelstahle – various varieties noble steel.

Exclusively in plural form The following “German words with articles” are used:

some diseases: chicken pox - die Windpocken, rubella - die Röteln, measles - die Masern;
some associations of people: grandparents - die Grosseltern, sister and brother - die Geschwister;
some geographical names: Pyrenees - die Pyrinäen, Cordillera - die Kordilleren, United Arab Emirates (UAE) - die Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE);
separate collective concepts in different areas: home textiles – die Heimtextilien, travel expenses – die Reisespesen, die Reisekosten;
separate time periods: winter holidays - die Winterferien.

Third very important grammatical category, characterizing it. words with art., is case. There are only four of them in the German language: nominative - Nominativ (who? what? - wer? was?), genitive - Genitiv (who? whose? - wessen?), dative - Dativ (to whom? - wem?), accusative - Akkusativ ( who? what? – wen?) Them. noun always stands in one of the listed cases. The original form presented in all dictionaries is the nominative case.

	Singular			Plural
Nominativ (who? what? – wer? was?)	der Greiner - crybaby	die Wiege - cradle	das Bildband - album	die Greinerdie
Genitiv (who? whose? – wessen?)	des Greiners	der Wiege	des Bildbandes	der Greinerder
Dativ (to whom? – wem?)	dem Greiner	der Wiege	dem Bildband	den Greinernden
Akkusativ (who? what? – wen? was?)	den Greiner	die Wiege	das Bildband	die Greinerdie

The declension of nouns is carried out in the plural in the same way in all cases, distinctive feature dative case is to add an additional ending –n if it is not present in nominative case plural part of a noun and if the plural part is not formed using the ending –s. In the singular part, the change in cases depends on the gender and type of declension, of which there are four in the German language - feminine, weak, strong and mixed.

	Singular				Plural
Declension type	feminine	strong	weak	mixed	Common to all
Nominative	die Schraube (nut)	das Geräusch (rustling)	der Futurologe (futurologist)	der Unglaube (unbelief)	die Schrauben
Genitiv	der Schraube	des Geräusches	des Futurologen	des Unglaubens	der Schrauben
Dativ	der Schraube	dem Geräusch	dem Futurologen	dem Unglauben	den Schrauben
Akkusativ	die Schraube	das Geräusch	den Futurologen	den Unglauben	die Schrauben die Futuro logen

Declension German words with articles in a single clause is a rather capacious and difficult topic, and therefore is subject to separate consideration

In English, an article is almost always used before nouns:

Articles a And an are called uncertain article (the Indefinite Article)
The is called certain the Definite Article

Let's consider three cases: when the indefinite article is used before the noun, when the definite article is used, and when the article is not used before the noun.

Indefinite article

There are two types of indefinite article:

a- used before words beginning with a consonant.
an- used before words starting with a vowel.

A noun with an indefinite article represents the name of an object in general, rather than the name of a specific object. For example, a student evokes the idea of a student in general, that is, of a student of a higher educational institution, but not of a specific person.

The meaning of the indefinite article can be expressed in Russian with words such as one, one of, some, any, some, every, any, each.

The indefinite article is used with singular countable nouns. Not used in the plural, sometimes replaced by indefinite pronouns some (several) any (any, everyone).

Definite article

The definite article has a single form: the. Individualizing article the derived from the demonstrative pronoun that- That.

Absence of article: zero article

No indefinite article

The indefinite article is not used:

before plural nouns
an article - articles

abstract nouns
imagination - imagination
nouns we are real, uncountable(nouns that cannot be counted, for example, you cannot say: three waters).
water (water), salt (salt), tea (tea)

If there is a definition before a noun, then the article is placed before this definition:
a story
an interesting story (interesting story)

Substitution rule

Use of the indefinite article

1. Indefinite article is used before a noun when it only names an object, classifies it as a representative of a certain type of object, but does not specifically highlight it.

a table - any table (namely a table, not a chair)
a chair - chair

2. when mentioning an object or person for the first time

That"s a pretty girl. - Beautiful girl

3. in a general sense:
A noun with an indefinite article in this meaning means: any, everyone.

A cow gives milk.
Any cow gives milk.

3. with professions:

My Dad is a Doctor. — My dad is a doctor.
She "s an architect. - She is an architect.

4. with some quantity expressions:

a pair - a pair
a little - a little
a few - several

5. in exclamatory sentences: before a singular countable noun after the word what.

What a beautiful day! - What a wonderful day!
What a pity! - What a pity!

Use of the definite article

Definite article is posed if the object or person in question is known to both the speaker and the listener (from the context, the environment, or as previously mentioned in this speech).

It is a chair
The chair is at the table - the chair is near the table

1. Repeatedly mentioned when it is clear from the previous text what it is about:

The girl was beautiful. — (This) Girl was beautiful.

2. Clear in the situation, when it is clear what/who is meant:

The lesson is over. - The lesson is over.

3. Having an individuating definition, that is, a definition that distinguishes this person or object from a number of similar ones.

3.1. Definition, naming the sign :
This is the house that Jack built. - This is the house that Jack built
3.2. Definition, expressed as an adjective in the superlative form e
This is the shortest way to the river - This is the shortest way to the river
3.3. Definition, expressed as an ordinal number
He missed the first lecture. — He missed the first lecture
3.4. Definition, expressed by proper noun
the Bristol road - the road to Bristol.
3.5. Definitions, expressed in words:
The stop next is ours. - The next stop is ours.

4. Before singular nouns:

the sun - the sun
the moon - moon
the Earth - Earth
the floor - floor (one in the room)
the sea - sea (the only one in the area)

5. Before adjectives and participles that have turned into nouns, with a plural meaning:

the strong- strong, the old- old people, the young- youth,

Absence of article (zero article)

1. If there is a pronoun before a noun or nouns in the possessive case.
My room is large - My room is large.

2. A noun is used without an article in the plural in the following cases:

2.1. when in singular in front of him there would be an indefinite article:
I saw a letter on the table. — I saw a letter on the table.
I saw letters on the table. — I saw letters on the table.

3. Uncountable real nouns.
water water, milk milk, chalk chalk, sugar sugar, tea tea, snow snow, grass grass, wool wool, meat meat and others.

In English, plural nouns may be preceded by a definite article, the pronoun some (any), or the determiner may be absent.

Rules for using the pronoun some

If one of the words can be placed in front of a Russian noun: several, a certain amount, some, some, the corresponding noun in an English sentence is preceded by the pronoun some (any).
If none of these words can be placed before a Russian noun, then there is no determiner before the corresponding noun in an English sentence.

I bought some apples yesterday - I bought apples yesterday (several, a certain number of apples)

Watch this video to get a basic understanding of articles in English before reading the article.

Why are articles needed in English?

Did you know that the article is a part of speech that does not exist in Russian?

We change stress and word order to give a phrase a flavor that is strictly fixed in English.

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

I like the car.
I like the car.

Do you sense a catch? In the first case, it is not clear what kind of machine we are talking about, but in the second we are talking about a specific machine.

In English, words cannot be interchanged, so articles are used to give the desired connotation to a phrase A, An And The.

Article rules

The concept of the article in English grammar is associated with the category of definiteness. Simplified, the article rule sounds like this:

Remember!
If we are talking about an unknown object, then the indefinite article A / An. If we are talking about something specific, then an article is placed before it The.

Assignment: What articles should be used in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows to get the answer.

Clue.
Article The descended from This(this) - you can point with your finger.
A / An descended from One(one).

That's why the article A/An used only in the singular!

In simplified form grammar rules articles can be represented as follows:

Plural noun?
Countable noun?
Have you heard of him before? (indefinite or definite article)
Are we talking about something in common?

What is the difference between the articles A and An?

Let's repeat!
Indefinite article A/An(which comes from one) We put only before in the singular!

So what's the difference between A And An?

Article A is placed before words that begin with consonants (a c at,a h ouse, a y ard), and An- before words that begin with vowels (an a pple, an h our).

Let this picture pop up before your eyes when you choose your food a And an.