A1 · BeginnerEnglish

Definite article (the)

By the flumi team About 2 min read 1 vocabulary wordPractice exercises

Definite article – the

1. What is the definite article (the)?

The is a word we use to talk about specific people or things.

Use the when both the speaker and the listener know exactly which person or thing we are talking about.

the cat in the garden
the book on the desk
the school near my house

2. Form

the + noun → the car
the + adjective + noun → the red car

the does not change for singular, plural, or gender:

the cat / the cats
the man / the woman

3. When do we use “the”?

We use the in these common situations when we talk about a specific person, place, or thing.

3.1 Talking about something specific

I want to eat the apple you gave me.

3.2 Something mentioned before

I saw a cat. The cat was black.

First time: use a or an. Second time: use the.

I saw a cat. The cat was black.

3.3 Unique things (only one exists)

The sun is very hot today.
We can see the moon at night.
The Earth moves around the sun.

3.4 Common places we go to

We often use the with common places in our daily life.

Let's meet at the park.
She is at the cinema.
We are going to the restaurant.

4. When do we NOT use “the”?

We have seen when to use the. Now let us look at when we do NOT use it.

Do NOT use the with general plural nouns or uncountable nouns when you are talking about things in general.

I like cats. (general — all cats)
I like the cats on my street. ✓ (specific — those particular cats)
I like music. (general — music in general)
I like the music in this café. ✓ (specific — the music playing right now)

Ready to practise?

Test what you've learned with interactive fill-in-the-blank exercises.

Start exercises

Vocabulary in this lesson

Play a word to hear it, then mark it as known or save it to study.

Definite article – the

A1

Definite Article

1 word

Last updated July 15, 2026