Articles in English: A, An, The, and No Article

Articles are small words we use before nouns. They help us know whether we are talking about something general or something specific.

1. A

• We use a before a singular noun that starts with a consonant sound.
  
  👉 Example: a book, a cat, a pen, a university (sounds like “yu”).

It means one, but not a specific one.

👉 I saw a dog in the street. (any dog, not special).

2. An

• We use an before a singular noun that starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
  
  👉 Example: an apple, an egg, an hour (silent ‘h’), an honest man.

It also means one, but not a specific one.

👉 I ate an orange. (any orange).

3. The

• We use the when we talk about something specific or unique.
  
  👉 Example: the sun, the moon, the president, the book on the table.

It can be used with singular, plural, and uncountable nouns.

👉 Please close the door. (a particular door, not any door).

4. No Article (Ø)

• Sometimes we don’t use any article.
  
  👉 Example: I like music. (not the music in general)
  
  👉 Example: Mount Everest is in Nepal. (proper nouns don’t need articles).

We usually don’t use articles before:

• Proper nouns (Ram, Kathmandu, Nepal)

• Languages (English, Nepali, Sanskrit)

• Subjects (Math, History, Science)

• Meals (I had breakfast / dinner)

✅ Quick Trick to Remember:

• a/an = one, any

• the = that one, special/known

• no article = general idea / names