Articles: A somewhat arbitrarily defined small group of determiners that are placed before nouns. Articles standing alone have little meaning; when used with a noun they can indicate whether the noun refers to a specific one or ones of its type or whether it refers to its type in general.

Let us learn the articles a an the in English.

English has two articles: the and a/an. ‘The’ is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; ‘a/an’ is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns.

We call ‘the’ the definite article and ‘a/an’ the indefinite article.

In Spanish, the articles are un, una, unos, unas, el, la, los and las. In Spanish, the articles also specify the noun’s gender.

The word “the” occupies a unique place in the English language as the only word that grammarians classify as a definite article. It’s not quite so simple in Spanish, where the English “the” has four equivalents. Like most adjectives, the definite article in Spanish varies with number and gender:

• Singular masculine: el
• Singular feminine: la
• Plural masculine: los
• Plural feminine: las

1. Definite Articles

In English, the definite article is the word “the” regardless of whether the noun it introduces is singular or plural. It can be used with uncountable nouns. The refers to a specific thing or quantity. It should be placed before the noun, or before the adjective which directly modifies the noun.

the cookie
the cookies
please give me the red bag

In Spanish, the definite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

Note: The masculine plural definite and indefinite articles (los, unos) are also used to indicate a group of mixed sex. Thus, “los gatos” could refer to a group of 10 male cats, or it could refer to a group of 9 female cats and one male cat.

2. Indefinite Articles

In English the indefinite articles are used when we are referring to an unspecified thing or quantity. We use them when we don’t know (or don’t care) which thing we’re talking about.

There once was a cat.

I don’t know which cat it was – don’t know its name or where it’s from, or anything about it – so I can’t say ‘the’ cat.

We use ‘a’ before nouns or adjectives which begin with a consonant, or when U sounds like a Y, or O sounds like a W.

A cat
A young girl

We use an before words which begin with a vowel sound or a soft H sound.

An hour
An egg

In Spanish, the indefinite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

Note: Remember, as long as the group of creatures has at least one male member, the masculine plural article is used. Thus, “unos gatos” could refer to a group of 10 male cats, or it could refer to a group of 9 female cats and one male cat.

The 4 forms of the indefinite article are:

Here are the definite and indefinite articles together:

Each of the following has a different meaning:

“Un” and “una” can mean “one,” “a,” or “an.”