🅰️ Articles: A / An / The

Articles are small words that introduce a noun.

Los artículos son pequeñas palabras que introducen a un sustantivo.

1. Indefinite Articles: A / An

We use A or An for singular nouns that are not specific. It means "one" or "any".

Usamos A o An para sustantivos singulares que no son específicos. Significa "un" o "una".

Rule:

• Use A before a consonant sound. (Usa A antes de sonido de consonante.)
• Use An before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). (Usa An antes de sonido de vocal.)

Article	Example	Spanish
A	A book	Un libro
A	A car	Un coche
A	A dog	Un perro
An	An apple	Una manzana
An	An elephant	Un elefante
An	An orange	Una naranja

⚠️ Watch out! It is about the sound, not the spelling.

• A university (/juː/... consonant sound) -> Una universidad
• An hour (/aʊər/... vowel sound, 'h' is silent) -> Una hora

2. Definite Article: The

We use The for specific things or when we know which one we are talking about. It is the same for singular and plural.

Usamos The para cosas específicas o cuando sabemos de cual hablamos. Es el mismo para singular y plural (el, la, los, las).

English	Spanish
The sun	El sol (There is only one)
The book (on the table)	El libro (ese específico)
The cars	Los coches
The apples	Las manzanas

📝 Summary

• I have a car. (Any car / Tengo un coche)
• The car is red. (That specific car / El coche es rojo)