The indefinite article in English is the equivalent of the numeral “one”. This particle attaches the object or concept in question to the class of similar ones.

Rules for using the indefinite article

“A/an” is only used before singular nouns. At the same time, the subject of conversation must be countable. “A” is added to words where the first sound is a consonant, “an” is a vowel. The main points when the article “a/an” is necessary are highlighted:

• If they report something that is still unknown to the interlocutor, they mention it for the first time. In such cases, when translating, a/an can be replaced with “one, some, some.”

Jane has got a child. - Jane has (one) child.

When translating Russian sentences into English, the numeral “one (one)” cannot be used instead of “a/an” if in Russian this word had the meaning “some, some”.

One woman told me this story. – A woman has told me this story.

• After the construction there is, used to introduce the interlocutor to a new subject.

• When they mean any object belonging to a certain class, without singling it out.

A dog was running along the road. - A dog (of some sort) was running along the road.

• If the noun is part of a compound nominal predicate.

Helen is a teacher at the local school. – Lena works as a teacher at a local school.

• When a noun acts as an application.

Alice, a very beautiful girl, like to take photos. – Alisa, a very beautiful girl, loves to be photographed.

In the case of a nominal predicate and an appendix, the definite article the is used if the person or thing expressed by the noun is well known or stands out from the general group. Examples of such sentences:

He is the doctor, who saved my life. “This is the same doctor who saved my life.”

Esenin, the famous Russian poet, died young. – Yesenin, a famous Russian poet, died young.

• When comparing objects belonging to different classes.

I would like to have a cat, not a dog. – I would like to have a cat, not a dog.

• Sometimes the article a/an is used in the direct meaning of “one” with the following words: an hour (hour), a kilogram (kilogram), a dozen (dozen), a score (twenty), a million (million), a thousand (thousand ), a hundred (hundred), etc.

This dress cost a hundred dollars. - This dress costs a hundred dollars.

• The indefinite article is part of stable expressions with the words what, such, quite, rather.

What a beautiful portrait. – What a beautiful portrait!

• “A/an” is added to singular nouns preceded by such, rather, or quite.

Sean is such a talented musician! – Sean is such a talented musician!

• If the noun is preceded by the combination: so+adjective, too+adjective.

That is, the absence of an article. In this article we will look at the indefinite article a\an in English.

Article a or an?

The indefinite article has two forms: a and an. The rule for using them is very simple.

• Article in the form “a” used before a consonant: a boot, a tie, a lock, a house, a car, a job.
• Article in the form “an” used before vowels: an apple, an iron, an oven, an error.

Even if a word begins with a consonant but begins with a vowel sound, “an” is used. These cases include:

• Unpronounceable h at the beginning of a word: an hour[ən ˈaʊə], an honor[ən ˈɒnə].
• Some abbreviations that are read by individual letters: an FBI agent[ən ɛf biː aɪ ˈeɪʤənt].

The indefinite article a\an in English is the basic rule

If we reduce the rules to the basic general, it will be like this.

General rule: The indefinite article is used to denote not specific, but some, some subject (that is why it is called indefinite). In Russian, we could instead say “some”, “some”, “some”, “one”.

By the way, the article a\an comes from the word one (one) - knowing this, it is not difficult to understand its meaning and use. Let's look at examples.

I need a shovel. - I need (some kind of) shovel.

I'd like to buy a ticket. - I would like to buy (one, some) ticket.

Compare, if you replace a \ an with the definite article the, the meaning will change:

I need the shovel. – I need (this particular) shovel.

I'd like to buy the ticket. – I would like to buy (that specific) ticket.

Rules for using the article a (an) in English

Let's look at more specific rules. So, the article a\an is used when:

1. This means everyone, no matter what representative of a class of objects or persons.

A baby can do that. – A baby (anyone) can do this.

A triangle has three sided. – A triangle (any triangle) has three sides.

The article does not necessarily come immediately before; there may be a sign between them, denoting the attribute of a noun.

I need a cheap ball pen. – I need (some) cheap ballpoint pen.

I want to buy a good hockey stick. – I want to buy (some) good hockey stick.

Please note that if in a similar case we put the definite article the, the meaning will change greatly, for example:

I want to buy the hockey stick. – I want to buy (a certain) club.

2. A noun names who or what an object or person is.

Most often this is a profession, if we are talking about a person, or the name of an object (class of objects), if we are talking about something inanimate. In this case, the article is difficult to “translate” into Russian. You need to understand that a noun denotes an object/person as a whole, not as a separate instance, but as a general concept.

I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

He is anexperienced graphicdesigner. – He is an experienced graphic designer.

This is a snowboard. - This is a snowboard.

If you use the, we will not be talking about the class of objects as a whole, but about a specific representative:

Hi is the experienced designer. – He is (the same) experienced designer.

3. We are talking about one object or person.

That is, literally about an object in the amount of one piece. Here the article a\an means almost the same as one.

I'd like a cup of hot chocolate. – I would like (one) cup of hot chocolate.

I need a day to rest. – I need (one) day to rest.

With the article the, we will also, in general, talk about one subject, but about a specific one. For example, not just about a cup of chocolate, but about the cup that you brewed first, it had a nicer foam:

I’d like the cup of hot chocolate. - I would like (that) cup of hot chocolate.

4. We are talking about an object or person mentioned in a conversation for the first time...

... and when we speak for the second, third, tenth time, we use the article the.

Here the use of articles is dictated by simple logic. When talking about an object for the first time, we usually talk about it as “something”, “something”.

– You know, I watched an interesting movie yesterday. – You know, yesterday I watched (some) interesting film.

Five minutes have passed, we have already discussed the film inside and out, and we are no longer talking about it as some kind of, and how about quite certain movie:

– Yeah, I think, I’m going to rewatch the movie!– Yes, I think I will review (this) film.

In general, this rule is very easy to break. For example, I decided to intrigue my interlocutor and tell him right away that I watched not just some movie, but THAT SAME movie:

– You know, I watched the movie yesterday. – You know, yesterday I watched THAT SAME movie.

Or, in this particular conversation, the subject may be mentioned for the first time, but both interlocutors understand perfectly well what it is about.

Mary: Honey, where is the mirror? - Darling, where is the mirror?

John: Your mom’s present is in the bathroom, as always. – Your mother’s gift is in the bathroom, as usual.

5. In a number of stable expressions

Basically, they are related to time and quantity:

• in a day \ week \ month \ year - every other day \ week \ month \ year
• in an hour - in an hour
• in a half an hour - in half an hour
• a few - several
• a little - a little
• a lot (great deal) of – a lot

The indefinite article a \ an is often used in set expressions like to have (to take) + noun, implying some kind of one-time action:

• to have (take) a look – take a look
• to have a walk - take a walk
• to have (take) a seat – sit down
• to take a note – make a note, write down

Notes:

1. Some expressions according to this scheme are used with a zero article, for example: to have fun - have fun.
2. In most cases, the following words are used with the definite article the: the future, the past, the present.
3. The names of the seasons are used with the or the zero article: in (the) winter, in (the) summer, etc.

The indefinite article before an adjective and pronoun

Articles (any) can be used before adjectives. In this case, they serve as modifiers not for adjectives, of course, but for the noun, the attribute of which these adjectives denote:

• She is a nice beautiful girl. - She's a sweet, beautiful girl.
• I need the red hat. - I need a red hat.

Articles are not used before a noun if it is already defined by a possessive (my, your, his, her, etc.) or a demonstrative pronoun (this, these, that, those). The meaning is that if an object is said to be “whose -that”, this already means that the object is concrete, definite - this makes the article a \ an impossible, and the article the unnecessary.

• Wrong: I am looking for a (the) my dog.
• Right: I am looking for my dog.

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Indefinite article a/an in English (the indefinite article) has two forms:

a[ə] - used before consonants. That is, if a word begins with a consonant, use a:

a b ook, a t able, a m an a g irl a c computer, a t omato, a yacht [ jɒt], a unit[ ˈj uːnɪt]

an[ən] - used before vowels. That is, if a word begins with a vowel sound, use an:

an a pple, an e ngineer, an i dea, an o range an a nswer, an hour [ˈ aʊə(r)]

Please note that the choice of the form of the indefinite article is determined not by spelling, but by pronunciation.

For example, the word hour starts with a vowel sound, so we use the article an (an hour), although the first letter in writing is a consonant h. Or, for example, the word yacht (yacht) written with a vowel y, but the consonant sound [j] is pronounced, so we choose a (a yacht). Using different forms of the same article helps make speech harmonious, easy, and natural. Try to pronounce an apple or an book, and you will feel how difficult and uncomfortable it is.

Remember:

Indefinite article a/an used only with singular:

a pen(pen), a story(story), a chair(chair), a child(child), a flower(flower)

If the noun is used in the plural form, then there is no indefinite article. The absence of an article before a noun is usually called the "zero article".

pens(pens), stories(stories), chairs(chairs), children(children), flowers(flowers)

When to use the indefinite article a/an

Below you will find a description of the main uses of the indefinite article a/an in English.

№1

Indefinite article a/an used when we first mention an object or person. In this case, we assume that our interlocutor does not know what or who exactly we are talking about.

Yesterday I bought a handbag. — Yesterday I bought a handbag.
Up until this point, I hadn’t even talked about how I was going to buy a bag. That is, I mention this for the first time (my interlocutor knows nothing about this bag), hence the indefinite article a/an.

If you continue to talk about this bag, then the noun handbag (bag) will already be used with the definite article the, since this time the interlocutor knows which specific bag we are talking about:

Yesterday I bought a handbag. The handbag is very beautiful. — Yesterday I bought a handbag. The handbag is very beautiful.

Although most often a personal pronoun is used instead of a noun, it sounds more natural and avoids repetition:

Yesterday I bought a handbag. It is very beautiful. — Yesterday I bought a handbag. She is very beautiful.

№2

Indefinite article a/an is used when we are not talking about a given (specific) object or person, but simply about any, some, one of a group of the same objects or people. In other words, when we talk about an object or person in general, without having a specific one in mind skirt, work, handle or dog:

I want to buy a skirt. — I want to buy a skirt. (some kind of skirt, I don’t know which one yet; I only know that I want a skirt, not a dress)
He refused to look for a job. — He refused to look for work. (some kind of work)
Give me a pen, please. - Give me a pen, please. (any, any)
It is a dog. - This is a dog. (some dog, any dog)

When we are not talking about a specific object or person, but about anyone, then further, if we need to re-designate it, we do not use personal pronouns or the definite article the. And again we use the indefinite article a/an or pronoun one.

She wants a car but he says they don’t need one. “She wants a car, but he says they don’t need it.”
or
She wants a car but he says they don’t need a car. — She wants a car, but he says they don’t need a car.
She wants to have a car (not a motorcycle, not a bicycle, but some kind of car, so a car), but he says that they don’t need a car (they don’t need any car at all, not just a specific one). Since in the second part of the sentence we are again talking about any / indefinite machine, we again use a car.

№3

Indefinite article a/an we also use it to describe or give any information about something that has already been mentioned earlier. In this case, an adjective is often used before the noun. Please note that although the article comes before an adjective, it refers to a noun:

It is a beautiful place. - This is a beautiful place. (describe what this place is)
He is a clever boy. - He's a smart boy. (we characterize what kind of boy he is)
Do you live in a big house? — Do you live in a big house? (we ask which house)

When we talk about a person’s profession or work, we also use the indefinite article a/an:

She is a teacher. - She is a teacher.
I am a doctor. - I am a doctor.

№4

Historically indefinite article a/an came from the numeral one (one). Hence the possibility in some cases to replace the article a/an numeral one. Such a replacement is possible when the article a/an essentially means "one". For example, this meaning of the indefinite article is observed in numerals a hundred (one hundred), a thousand (thousand), a million (million) and in the word a dozen (dozen) when they are used independently or before a noun:

This toy costs a thousand roubles. = This toy costs one thousan d roubles. — This toy costs a thousand rubles (one thousand rubles).
Give me a dozen, please. = Give me one dozen, please. - Give me a dozen, please (one dozen).

It is precisely with the origin from the numeral one (one) and the meaning of the singularity of the indefinite article is associated, which is especially evident when expressing measures of time, distance, weight or quantity:

This chocolate bar costs a dollar. — This chocolate bar costs a dollar. (=one dollar, we can replace a dollar on one dollar)
I'll call you in an hour. - I'll call you in an hour. (=in one hour, we can replace an hour on one hour)
Can I have a kilo of tomatoes, please? — Can I have a kilogram of tomatoes, please? (=one kilogram, we can replace a kilo on one kilo)

Please note that the numeral one instead of an article a/an should only be used when you want to emphasize that you are talking about just one thing or person, that is, when you want to be very precise:

I have got one sister. - I have one sister. (not two sisters, not three, but only one)
I have got a sister. - I have a sister. (in this case I just say that I have a sister)

The meaning of the singularity of the indefinite article can be seen in some stable phrases that convey the one-time action:

have a look- take a look
have a snack- have a snack
have a try- try, try
have a rest- relax
have a good time- have a good time
give a chance- give a chance
give a hint- hint
give a lift- give me a ride
make a mistake- make a mistake
play a trick- play a trick

№5

Indefinite article a/an also used when it is necessary to indicate the quantity per unit of measurement. For example, when we talk about the price of oranges per kilogram, the amount of wages per month, the number of classes per week, or the speed of a car per hour. A noun denoting this same unit of measurement will be used with the indefinite article.

The oranges were 80 rubles a kilo. — Oranges cost 80 rubles per kilogram.
She works 8 hours a day. — She works 8 hours a day.
I go to aerobics twice a week. — I go to aerobics twice a week.

№6

Indefinite article a/an can also be used with some uncountable abstract nouns (for example, humor - humor, hatred - hatred, anger - anger, magic - magic) in the case when they have an adjective with them. Typically, such use of the indefinite article is characteristic of book style and expresses the author’s desire to emphasize the individual, special character of this or that abstract concept.

Please note that in the above case, the use of the indefinite article is optional. If you do not want to highlight in a certain way the special character of any emotion, character trait, etc., the article a/an may not be used.

On a note

To learn to use the indefinite article a/an more or less automatically, try to form a rule in your head: use the indefinite article with singular countable nouns when there is no other reason for using the definite article the or some other determiner (possessive or indefinite pronoun).

On my own the indefinite article in English (the Indefinite Article) serves to designate the category of uncertainty and is used only with singular countable nouns. The indefiniteness caused by the indefinite article in English has the meaning of “some, unknown what.” Indefinite articles in English indicate that an object belongs to some class of objects and carry a classifying meaning:

• This is a cat. - It's a cat. (Unknown which one, one of the cats)

The history of the origin of the indefinite article in English

As for the history of the origin of the indefinite article a (an), it is believed that it came from the Old English word ān, i.e. “one” (one):

• A coffee, please. - One coffee, please.
• Wait a minute. - Wait one minute.

Using the indefinite article in English

The indefinite article in English has two forms - a and an. Form a is used before words beginning with a consonant: a tree (tree), a song, a finger (finger); the form an, in turn, is used before words starting with a vowel sound: an apple (apple), an elephant, an owl (owl).

Thus, the indefinite article is used in the following cases:

• When we are talking about an object or a person as a representative of a particular class. Often this noun comes with an adjective that describes it. For example: It was a very interesting story.— It was a very interesting story. This is a pupil. He is a very good pupil.- He's a student. He is a very good student.
• This type of article is used with singular nouns in constructions there is/ was/ will be, have (got), this is… For example: There is a table in the room. — There is a table in the room. This is a nice house. - This is a beautiful house.
• When we mean everyone, any representative of a given class, the indefinite article is also used. For example: A baby can understand it. “Any child can understand this.”
• When we are talking about an object or person unknown to the interlocutor, that is, this word is used in the text for the first time. For example: We saw a man in a dark coat. The man was holding a stick.— We saw a man in a dark coat. The man was carrying a cane.
• In exclamatory sentences. For example: What a nice surprise! - What a pleasant surprise!
• With the words “one hundred”, “thousand”, “million”, etc., meaning “one”. For example: a (one) hundred, a (one) thousend, a (one) million, etc.
• In expressions such as per day, per hour, per year etc. For example: He calls his parents three times a day.— He calls his parents three times a day. We have four English classes a week.— We have four English lessons a week.
• With singular countable nouns with words such, quite, rather. For example: It was such a sunny day! — It was such a sunny day! He is quite a tall boy for his age.— He is quite a tall boy for his age. She is rather a good cook. — She's a pretty good cook.
• With uncountable nouns meaning "portion". For example: Would you like an ice-cream? -Will you have some ice cream?
• With proper names meaning “some”, “some”. For example: I started working for a Mr. Rochester, but I haven’t seen him yet.“I started working for a certain Mr. Rochester, but I haven’t met him yet.”
• With proper names meaning “one of”, “representative of a family or clan”. For example: It was met by a Burton. “I was met by one of the Burtons.”
• With proper names meaning “work of art” (for example, a painting, a sculpture, a piece of music). For example: I sold him a Coin. — I sold him a Monet painting.

Thus, dear friends, indefinite article in English corresponds to the category of uncertainty and the meaning “one”, which one way or another we have to use both in writing and in speech in English.

Indefinite articlein English it has two forms -a And an. This article comes from the numeralone - oneand therefore is used with singular countable nouns.There is no indefinite article in the plural and is not replaced by another qualifier. Forma[ə]is used before words beginning with a consonant, and the forman [ən]used before words beginning with a vowel sound.

Use of the indefinite article a/an

At the first mention of the subject	A man is waiting for you. A man is waiting for you. (some kind)
If you can replace the article with the word “one”	A packet of biscuits, please.One pack cookies, Please.
Any object from a number of similar ones is meant	Give me a ruler! I want to draw a straight line.Give me (any) ruler. I want to draw a straight line.
With a noun preceded by a descriptive adjective	It was a boring, tedious movie.It was a boring, tedious movie.
In the nominal part of a compound predicate	He is an engineer. He engineer. She is a student. Shestudent. It's a big city. It is a big city.
The subject acts as a representative of its entire class	An elephant has got a long trunk.U elephant long trunk.
In stable combinations like what a.. a little a few a lot of as a rule as a result for a while	What a lovely day! What a beautiful day! I`d like to say a few words. I would wanted say some words. I have a little free time . I have some free time. I have a lot of friends . U me a lot of friends.
Before the words such, quite, rather, most (meaning “very”)	He is quite a young man. He is quite a young man.
Cathedral have something/have got something	I have (got) an orange.U me There is orange .
Cathedral there is ( there was or there will be )	There is a subway in New York.New York has a subway. There is a fireplace in my house.return to the selection in the "Grammar" section >>> Join us onFacebook!