English Articles (a, an, the) for Hindi Speakers

Hindi does not have words that correspond to a, an and the, so many Hindi-speaking learners find articles the hardest part of English. The rules are learnable.

What Hindi does instead

Hindi can use एक ("one") to say "a" and यह / वह ("this/that") to point at something specific, but often it uses no word at all:

• मैंने किताब खरीदी। — I bought a book. / I bought the book. (context decides)

English forces you to choose, so you have to think about it.

A and an

Use a or an for one non-specific, countable thing.

• a before a consonant sound: a book, a university (it starts with a "y" sound).
• an before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour (the h is silent).

The rule is based on sound, not spelling.

The

Use the when both speaker and listener know which one:

• I saw a dog. The dog was big. (first mention, then specific)
• Please close the door. (a particular door)
• the sun, the moon (only one)

No article

Use no article for:

• General plural nouns: I like books.
• Uncountable nouns in general: Water is important.
• Languages and subjects: I study Hindi.
• Most names of people: Ravi is here.

Quick check

Ask yourself:

1. Is it countable and singular? If yes, it needs a/an or the.
2. Do we both know which one? If yes, use the.
3. Is it general or uncountable? If yes, use nothing.

Practice sentences

• I need a pen. — मुझे एक पेन चाहिए।
• The pen on the table is mine. — मेज़ पर रखा पेन मेरा है।
• She is a teacher. — वह शिक्षिका है।

Tips

1. Read English articles and notice the small words.
2. Learn phrases whole, such as in the morning, at the moment.
3. Do not panic over small errors; meaning is usually clear.

Look up any word with English Hindi Dictionary →