English grammar · level A1. Leggi la regola e gli esempi, guarda le forme (affermativa, negativa, interrogativa), evita gli errori comuni e poi mettiti alla prova con il quiz.
1 The rule
English has two indefinite articles, a and an, and one definite article, the.
We use a / an for one thing that is not specific, and the for something specific that both people know.
a + consonant sound · an + vowel sound · the = specific / unique2 Forms
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | before a consonant sound | a dog, a car, a university (yoo-) |
| an | before a vowel sound | an apple, an egg, an hour (silent h) |
| the | specific / unique thing | the sun, the book on the table |
| no article | plural / uncountable in general | I like dogs. Water is important. |
3 When we use it
a / an — first mention, not specific
- I have a cat.
- She is an engineer.
the — second mention or something unique
- I have a cat. The cat is black.
- Look at the moon!
no article — things in general (plural/uncountable)
- Cats are independent.
- I love music.
4 Common mistakes
✗ an university
✓ a university
“University” starts with a “yoo” sound → a.
✗ a apple
✓ an apple
Vowel sound → an.
✗ I like the dogs. (in general)
✓ I like dogs.
No article for things in general.
In italianoa/an si scelgono in base al SUONO, non alla lettera: an hour (h muta, suono vocalico), a university (suono «iu»).
5 Quiz — check your understanding
0 / 7
Multiple choice
1 Choose: “I saw ___ elephant.”
2 Choose: “She works in ___ hospital.”
3 “I bought a book. ___ book is great.”
4 General statement: “I like ___.”
True or False
5 We use “an” before a vowel sound.
6 “A university” is correct.
7 We use “the” for things in general.
Suggerimento: crea 3 frasi tue con questa regola (una affermativa, una negativa, una interrogativa) e dille ad alta voce. Applicare subito la regola è il modo più veloce per fissarla.