Level: beginner
The definite article the is the most frequent word in English.
We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what we are referring to:
- because there is only one:
The Pope is visiting Russia.
The moon is very bright tonight.
Who is the president of France?
This is why we use the definite article with a superlative adjective:
He is the tallest boy in the class.
It is the oldest building in the town.
- because there is only one in that context:
We live in a small house next to the church. (= the church in our village)
Dad, can I borrow the car? (= the car that belongs to our family)
When we stayed at my grandmother’s house, we went to the beach every day. (= the beach near my grandmother’s house)
Look at the boy over there. (= the boy I am pointing at)
- because we have already mentioned it:
A young man got a nasty shock when he tried to rob a jewellery shop in Richmond. The man used a heavy hammer to smash the windows in the shop.
We also use the definite article:
- to say something about all the things referred to by a noun:
The wolf is not really a dangerous animal. (= Wolves are not really dangerous animals.)
The kangaroo is found only in Australia. (= Kangaroos are found only in Australia.)
The heart pumps blood around the body. (= Hearts pump blood around bodies.)
We use the definite article in this way to talk about musical instruments:
Joe plays the piano really well.
She is learning the guitar.
- to refer to a system or service:
How long does it take on the train?
I heard it on the radio.
You should tell the police.
- The definite article the 1
- The definite article the 2
- The definite article the 3
Level: intermediate
We can also use the definite article with adjectives like rich, poor, elderly and unemployed to talk about groups of people:
Life can be very hard for the poor.
I think the rich should pay more taxes.
She works for a group to help the elderly.
Level: beginner
The definite article with names
We do not normally use the definite article with names:
William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Paris is the capital of France.
Iran is in Asia.
But we do use the definite article with:
- countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic:
| the United Kingdom | the Kingdom of Bhutan |
| the United States | the People's Republic of China |
- countries which have plural nouns as their names:
| the Netherlands | the Philippines |
- geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals:
| the Himalayas | the Canaries | the Atlantic (Ocean) | the Amazon | the Panama Canal |
- newspapers:
| The Times | The Washington Post |
- well-known buildings or works of art:
| the Empire State Building | the Taj Mahal | the Mona Lisa |
- organisations:
| the United Nations | the Seamen's Union |
- hotels, pubs and restaurants:
| the Ritz | the Ritz Hotel | the King's Head | the Déjà Vu |
But note that we do not use the definite article if the name of the hotel or restaurant is the name of the owner:
| Brown's | Brown's Hotel | Morel's | Morel's Restaurant |
- families:
| the Obamas | the Jacksons |
- The definite article with names 1
- The definite article with names 2
- The definite article with names 3
- The definite article with names 4
Hello,
As a native speaker, would you say :
I like the Summer or I like summers ?
thanks in advance
Hello dotty1977,
Both are fine, though I think I'd probably say 'the summer'.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello! :)
Please let me know which sentence is correct and why.
Aborigines are the people native to Australia.
Or
Aborigines are the people native to Australia.
Thank you sooo much.
Hi Aona,
I think the two sentences are the same as each other? They are correct.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I have an IT related question. If we're talking about a table name in a database in a document, and we mention its name, for example "Table XYZ is used to store extracted context information". Does the rule for mentioning something for the first time (so no article just table name) apply? Or should we actually use "the" because we mean this specific table?
Hi o.zandecka,
If you refer to the table by its particular name (e.g. Table XYZ), it should always be without "the". It doesn't matter whether this is the first time it is mentioned, or not the first time.
However, if you have already mentioned the table's name, you can then say "the table" to refer to it (but not "the table XYZ").
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
If table is ( xyz table) ,it is already a specific table. There is no need to add (the).
Hello teachers,
I don't really understand this sentence in the practice :France's highest mountain is Mont Blanc (4,810m) and its longest river is the Loire (1,012km). Why Mont Blanc doesn't have "the" but Loire has "the"? both Mont Blanc and Loire is the only one in the world, and if saying as geographical features we should use "the" for both of them? can you explain this? thank you a lot!
Hi lien.t,
We do use "the" when there is only one of something, and this is true for many words (e.g. the moon). But this is only a general pattern. It's not true of all things of which there is only one. "The" is not used with Mont Blanc, Japan, and William Shakespeare, for example, as these also belong to other categories (mountain; country; person) which have their own patterns for using "the".
We don't usually use "the" with the names of particular mountains (e.g. Mont Blanc, Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro) but we do usually use "the" with mountain ranges, i.e. chains of mountains (e.g. the Himalayas, the Rocky Mountains).
Does that make sense?
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello Mr Jonathan,
thank you very much. I understood for Mont Blanc now.
But how about "the Loire" ?, why we use "the" with this river, as per my understanding "Loire" is a particular name too - same as "Mont Blanc" isn't it?
Or because "Mont Blanc" has their meaning in French, means white mountain, so it's kind of more general than "Loire"?
thanks for your explanation.
Hello lien.t,
The use of definite articles with place names isn't completely regular. In general, we always use 'the' with rivers, which is why we say 'the Loire', 'the Mekong', 'the Po', 'the Mississippi', etc. There might be some exception to this, but I can't think of one off the top of my head. It might help to think that we often use 'the' when referring to bodies of water -- we say 'the Atlantic', 'the Seine', etc.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
thank you Kirk and Jonathan :) I'm really appreciated to your help!
Hello,
This sentence is from Encyclopedia Britannica: "This relative isolation from the outside world made possible over the centuries the flowering and refinement of the Chinese culture."
This sentence is from National Geographic: "Confucianism was a way of life for ancient Chinese people, and it continues to influence Chinese culture today."
In the first sentence, 'Chinese culture' has the definite article, but in the second it does not. I think both sentences would look right either with or without the definite article. So, is it optional in these cases? If so, why? Thank you!
Hello TomStuart,
We make choices about articles depending on the full context. The writing that comes before these sentences has most likely influenced the writers' use (or not) of 'the' in both cases.
But if these sentences were isolated, then it might be possible to do what you say, though it also depends on the ideas you have. The definite article before 'Chinese culture' in the first one could be omitted and there wouldn't be a big difference in meaning. Please note, however, that this sentence doesn't really work in isolation -- the first word 'This' already refers back to an idea in the previous sentence or somewhere earlier in the text.
In the second case, 'the' could be added, though that might add the idea that there is a singular Chinese culture today. Perhaps the writer would agree that there is a singular Chinese culture, but it might be that she doesn't -- it's just not clear from the one sentence.
I'm sorry to problematize things, but I'm afraid articles can be tricky this way.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Respected team,
There are "paid museums" and free ones.
Can we use paid for places that we need to buy tickets.
Thank you
Hello Hosseinpour,
Paid as an adjective normally means that you receive money rather than have to pay it: a paid role, a well-paid job, the council employees three paid officials, you have four weeks of paid holiday in your contract etc.
Although in some contexts you might see phrases like 'a paid museum' I think it's quite unusual.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Peter,
Thank you for your time and help.
Respected team,
Sorry I kept you waiting.
Sorry to have kept you waiting.
Do they have the same meaning?
Thank you
Hello Hosseinpour,
Yes, they mean exactly the same thing. The second one is a bit more appropriate in more formal situations, but both are polite.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Dear sir,
Thank you for the help and time.
Hello dear team,
It is estimated that 124 million children worldwide lack vitamin A,
putting them at risk of permanent blindness and other health issues.
What kind of structure is (putting)? How can I make sentences like this?
Thank you
Hello Hosseinpour,
This is an example of a participle clause, which is a kind of subordinate clause introduced by a participle (-ing (present participle) or the third form past participle).
You can read more about the form and use of participle clauses here:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/participle-clauses
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-29/session-1
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Sir, Thank you for your help and time.
Hello dear team,
I'd hate to see monarchy abolished.
(I would= I'd ) why is it used in here?
Is (abolished) an adjective here?
Thank you
Hi Hosseinpour,
"I would" + verb is used to show your opinion in a polite and not-too-forceful way. Some other common phrases like this are "I would think ..." and "I would imagine ...". You may be interested in our page on Will and would (linked), which has a few examples of this at the end of the page.
Yes, "abolished" is a past participle functioning as an adjective.
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Dear Jonathan,
Thank you for the time and help.
Hi.
Is there a rule for which buildings / monuments we use 'the' with? As a native speaker, it feels intuitive but I am struggling with a way to teach this. For example, I would use the definite article when referring to the Taj Mahal, or the Burj Khalifa but not Angkor Wat or Stonehenge.
Thanks!
Hi jasmine.pankhania,
I think it is somewhat arbitrary. Sometimes the building's name in the local language also uses a definite article, which perhaps influences the way it is named in English in some cases (e.g. l'Arc de Triomphe). If the name includes a noun with some kind of description (e.g. the White House, the Forbidden City, the Tower of London), it will tend to use "the", However, I don't think we will find a grammatical rule that is applied consistently across all building/monument names, and there are bound to be examples that don't conform to this. Sorry, I can't really help!
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello dear team!
I've got a question.
1. After I leave the school I want to go to University.
2. After I leave school I want to go to the University.
Which variant is correct? I do know, that we don't generally use definite article with places, but I feel I have to use "the" in this particular sentence. Thanks in advance for Your help!
Hi ASHA1992Shah,
If you say "leave the school" and "go to the university" (with "the"), you are referring to specific schools or universities, and you expect that the listener knows which particular one you mean.
You can say "leave school" and "go to university" (both without "the") to mean the general institution of school/university, rather than particular schools/universities.
I would choose option 2 here. It seems like the person is talking more about school as an institution (i.e., a stage of education), rather than a particular school. Also, I noticed that it was "University" with a capital "U", so it seems to refer to a particular university (not to the general institution of university).
Does that make sense?
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Thanks a lot for a detailed answer. I highly appreciate the important job you do! And another question)
1. The Rio Grande River forms a boundary between the US and Mexico.
Is it correct to use an indefinite article here? Or we should rewrite the sentence as: "The Rio Grande River forms the boundary between the US and Mexico".
Hello Asha1992Shah,
Depending on the context, it can be correct. For example, if your focus is more on the role of rivers in geography and this is the first example you give, then 'a' would probably be a better choice. But if you're speaking specifically about the US or Mexico, then 'the' would probably be better.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Thank you for the help and the time.
Hi Academic Team,
Do we need "the" in capital there?
Thank you so much.
The given table illustrates how much money families in five countries allocated to five spending items. Overall, people in all THE countries examined spent more resources on food and drink and accommodation.
Hi Jack Nguyen,
It's still grammatical to write the sentence without "the". But I do think it is better to say "all the countries examined". This makes it clearer that it refers to the five specific countries that were mentioned in the previous sentence (rather than, for example, some other interpretation such as there being more than five countries examined, including the five in the table and also others not reported in the table).
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Dear Team, I really need your help with this one.
1. The use of computers and smartphones impedes (the) reading and writing abilities of young people. Do we need article "the" right before "reading..."
2. The solutions to this problem would lie in education and (the) allocation of government budget to industries. The same question is here as well.
Is it true that we need "the" in a pattern of "A of B"?
I would really appreciate your help with this!
Hi Jack Nguyen,
Yes, right. The "of" phrases define the noun, so "the" is typically used. For example, you can say "technological development" but also "the development of technology".
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello dear team,
Who keeps you and your family safe? You? or (us)?
Is using (us) right? Or should I use *we*?
Thank you
Hello Hosseinpour,
We typically use the object forms of personal pronouns ('us' is the object form of 'we'; 'you' is both a subject and object form) in short answers, especially in an informal style.
It's also possible to answer a question like this with the subject form of the pronoun plus an auxiliary verb. In this case, that would be 'We do'. This use is fairly common in informal styles, and a better option in formal situations.
To summarise: 'Us' is the correct answer. 'We' by itself is not correct here, though you could say 'We do'.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Respected sir,
Thank you for the help and the time.
Thank you
Dear team hello,
1.The hotel also recognized that it would need a different approach (to selecting) employees. Can we use (to +verb+ ing)?
2. We improved both customer and (employee satisfaction). Why it is not employee's satisfaction?
Thank you
Hi Hosseinpour,
In 1, you can say "approach to select employees". This is an infinitive ("to" + verb), which shows a purpose. It means that "selecting employees" is the ultimate goal of the approach. In other words, the hotel needs a different approach in order to select employees.
Or, you can say "approach to selecting employees". Here, the structure is "approach" + preposition "to" + verb with "ing". Here, "to" is a preposition. If a verb follows a preposition, it must be in the "ing" form. This does not show a purpose/goal. It simply describes the action: the hotel needs a different approach to the selection of employees.
It is a slight difference and probably unimportant.
In 2, you could also say "We improved both customers' and employees' satisfaction", but you would need to put 's after both nouns, not just one. The meaning is the same.
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Thank you sir for the help and time.
Thanks
Hello dear team,
The poor working condition( "working" is an adjective)
A poor work condition (Can we use "working" instead of "work"?)
Thank you
Hello Hosseinpour,
When we want to talk about the situation people work or live in, we use the word 'conditions' (notice it's plural), not 'condition'. Since 'conditions' is plural, you could either say 'the poor working conditions' or 'poor working conditions' (but not *'a poor working conditions').
Whether you use 'the' or no article depends on the situation, following the general explanation above.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Dear teacher,
I wonder if we can say "Lake West is a good place to camp." or "the West Lake is a good place to camp." Which one is correct?
Hello tahophuongmai,
'Lake West' is correct and 'The Lake West' is not. We don't use 'the' before the names of lakes.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
i have 2 questions about how to use "the".
1- forehead is the part of the face above the eyebrows.
if i say: forehead is part of a face above eyebrows. is it true or fail ?
2- Chin is central forward portion of the lower jaw; bottom of face.
i think this sentence is written as Chin is the central forward portion of the lower jaw; the bottom of the face.
explain this to me please!
Hi quydohmu,
For sentence 1, it is grammatically fine to say "a face". However, it's very common to use "the" with body parts and I think "the face" would be more commonly used than "a face". I think "the eyebrows" would be preferred, for the same reason.
In sentence 2, yes - your version of the sentence is correct. The definite articles are needed.
In both sentences, "the" is also needed before the first word -- "The forehead" and "The chin".
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello dear team, and thanks for the time,
I sat (in) the bus chair or (on) the bus chair.
Thank you