Articles — a, an, the · Artículos — a, an, the
a, an, the — small words, big job
- Articles come before nouns. English uses them a lot — Chinese doesn't.
- a / an = one, not specific. the = a specific one we both know.
- Sometimes we use no article at all.
A cat came in. The cat now owns the sofa.
a, an, the — palabras pequeñas, gran función
- Los artículos van antes de los sustantivos. El inglés los usa mucho; el chino no.
- a / an = uno, no específico. the = uno específico que ambos conocen.
- A veces usamos ningún artículo.
Un gato entró. El gato ahora tiene el sofá.
a / an — one, not specific
- Use before a singular countable noun: a book, an apple.
- a before a consonant sound; an before a vowel sound.
- Listen to the sound: an hour (h is silent), a university (it starts "yu-").
a / an — uno, no específico
- Se usan antes de un sustantivo singular contable: a book, an apple.
- a antes de sonido consonántico; an antes de sonido vocálico.
- Escucha el sonido: an hour (la h es muda), a university (comienza con "yu").
a or an? Listen to the sound · ¿a o an? Escucha el sonido
Choose a / an by the SOUND that follows, not the letter. · Elige a / an según el SONIDO que sigue, no la letra.
Choose the correct article: I waited for ___ hour. · Elige el artículo correcto: I waited for ___ hour.
“hour” starts with a vowel sound (h is silent) → an hour. · “hour” comienza con un sonido vocálico (h es muda) → an hour.
Translate into English: 她是一名工程师。 · Traduce al inglés: 她是一名工程师。
“engineer” starts with a vowel sound → an: “She is an engineer.” · “engineer” comienza con un sonido vocálico → an: “She is an engineer.”
the — the specific one
- Use the when we both know which one: Close the door.
- For something mentioned again: I saw a cat. The cat was black.
- For unique things (the sun, the moon) and before superlatives (the best).
the — el específico
- Usa the cuando ambos saben cuál: Close the door.
- Para algo mencionado nuevamente: I saw a cat. The cat was black.
- Para cosas únicas (the sun, the moon) y antes de superlativos (the best).
Complete with one word: ___ sun is very bright today. · Completa con una palabra: ___ sun is very bright today.
The sun is unique → use “the”: The sun is bright. · The sun es único → usa “the”: The sun is bright.
zero article — no word at all
- Plural / uncountable nouns in general: I like music. Cats are cute.
- Names of people, most countries, cities: Tom, China, Beijing.
- Fixed phrases: go to school / bed / work.
cero artículo — sin palabra en absoluto
- Sustantivos plurales / incontables en general: I like music. Cats are cute.
- Nombres de personas, la mayoría de países y ciudades: Tom, China, Beijing.
- Frases fijas: go to school / bed / work.
Talking about music in general — is “I like the music.” correct? · Hablando sobre música en general — ¿es “I like the music.” correcto?
For music in general, use no article: “I like music.” · Para música en general, no se usa artículo: “I like music.”
Common mistakes
- ❌ I want to be teacher. → ✓ I want to be a teacher. — jobs need a / an.
- ❌ I went to home. → ✓ I went home. — no to, no the before home.
- ❌ He plays the football. → ✓ He plays football — but: play the piano.
Errores comunes
- ❌ I want to be teacher. → ✓ I want to be a teacher. — Los trabajos necesitan a / an.
- ❌ I went to home. → ✓ I went home. — Sin to, sin the antes de home.
- ❌ He plays the football. → ✓ He plays football; pero: play the piano.
Which article? Match each phrase. · ¿Qué artículo? Empareja cada frase.
Unique things take the; a / an follow the sound; fixed phrases like go to bed take none. · Las cosas únicas llevan the; a / an siguen el sonido; las frases fijas como go to bed no usan artículo.
Is this correct? “She plays the piano.” · ¿Es esto correcto? “She plays the piano.”
Yes — instruments take the: play the piano / the violin. Sports take none: play football. · Sí — los instrumentos requieren the: play the piano / the violin. Los deportes no usan artículo: play football.
- a / an = one, not specific (an before a vowel sound).
- the = the specific one we both know.
- No article for general plurals / uncountables and most names.
- a / an = uno, no específico (an antes de sonido vocálico).
- the = el específico que ambos conocen.
- Sin artículo para plurales / incontables generales y la mayoría de nombres.
Write one sentence that uses “the” for something specific (for example: the door, the teacher, the book on your desk). · Escribe una oración que use “the” para algo específico (por ejemplo: the door, the teacher, the book on your desk).
Example: “Please open the window.” (a specific window we both know) · Ejemplo: “Please open the window.” (una ventana específica que ambos conocen)