Articles – The, A, An with Rules and Examples

Articles – Definite and Indefinite with Rules & Examples

Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. They come before nouns.

Example:
- I saw a dog in the park.
- मैंने पार्क में एक कुत्ता देखा।
- I saw the dog you told me about.
- मैंने वह कुत्ता देखा जिसके बारे में तुमने बताया था।

Type of Article	Use	Example (English)	Example (Hindi)
Definite Article – the	Refers to a specific noun known to the speaker and listener	I saw the movie you recommended.	मैंने वह फिल्म देखी जो तुमने सुझाई थी।
Indefinite Article – a	Refers to a non-specific noun starting with a consonant sound	I saw a cat on the wall.	मैंने दीवार पर एक बिल्ली देखी।
Indefinite Article – an	Refers to a non-specific noun starting with a vowel sound	She ate an apple.	उसने एक सेब खाया।

Use ‘a’ before words starting with a consonant sound.
- a dog, a book, a university (sounds like ‘yu-ni…’)
Use ‘an’ before words starting with a vowel sound.
- an apple, an egg, an hour (silent ‘h’, sounds like ‘our’)
Use ‘the’ when referring to:
- Something already mentioned: I bought a book. The book is interesting.
- Something unique or one-of-a-kind: The sun, The moon
- Something specific known to the speaker and listener: Please open the door.
No article is used for:
- Plural general nouns: Cats are cute.
- Names of countries (usually), cities, languages: India, Hindi
- Names of meals: We had lunch.