How do you use "a / an" in a sentence?

I saw a dog in the park.' (first mention) She is a teacher.' (profession) Would you like an apple?' (any apple) It takes an hour.' (vowel sound, not letter)

a / an

Q: What does "a / an" mean?

Introduces singular countable nouns that are not specific Use 'a' before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowel sounds. The indefinite article introduces something for the first time, talks about any one of a group, or describes professions. Note: it's the SOUND that matters, not the letter.

Grammar Pattern BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

Practica con tarjetas, cuestionarios y audio en WordLoci →

Significado: Introduces singular countable nouns that are not specific

用于引出不特定的单数可数名词

Introduce sustantivos contables singulares no específicos

特定されていない単数可算名詞を導く

특정되지 않은 단수 가산명사 앞에 사용

Use 'a' before consonant sounds and 'an' before vowel sounds. The indefinite article introduces something for the first time, talks about any one of a group, or describes professions. Note: it's the SOUND that matters, not the letter.

辅音音素前用'a'，元音音素前用'an'。不定冠词用于首次引入事物、谈论某类事物中的任意一个或描述职业。注意：重要的是发音，而不是字母。

Usa 'a' antes de sonidos consonantes y 'an' antes de sonidos vocales. El artículo indefinido introduce algo por primera vez, habla de cualquiera de un grupo, o describe profesiones. Nota: es el SONIDO lo que importa, no la letra.

子音の音の前に「a」、母音の音の前に「an」を使います。不定冠詞は、何かを初めて紹介する時、グループの中の任意の1つについて話す時、または職業を説明する時に使います。注意：重要なのは音であり、文字ではありません。

자음 소리 앞에는 'a', 모음 소리 앞에는 'an'을 사용합니다. 부정관사는 무언가를 처음 소개하거나, 그룹 중 하나를 말하거나, 직업을 설명할 때 사용합니다. 주의: 글자가 아니라 소리가 기준입니다.

Ejemplos

I saw a dog in the park.' (first mention)
我在公园里看到了一只狗。'（首次提及）
Vi un perro en el parque.' (primera mención)
公園で犬を見ました。'（初めて言及）
공원에서 개를 봤습니다.' (처음 언급)
She is a teacher.' (profession)
她是一名老师。'（职业）
Ella es profesora.' (profesión)
彼女は先生です。'（職業）
그녀는 선생님입니다.' (직업)
Would you like an apple?' (any apple)
你想要一个苹果吗？'（任意一个）
¿Quieres una manzana?' (cualquier manzana)
りんごはいかがですか？'（どれでも）
사과 하나 드시겠어요?' (아무 사과나)
It takes an hour.' (vowel sound, not letter)
需要一个小时。'（元音发音）
Tarda una hora.' (sonido vocal)
1時間かかります。'（母音の音）
한 시간이 걸립니다.' (모음 소리)

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: spoken, written, everyday

Tono: neutral

✓ Correcto

a university (consonant sound)
a university（辅音音素）
a university (sonido consonántico)
a university（子音の音）
a university (자음 소리)
an umbrella (vowel sound)
an umbrella（元音音素）
an umbrella (sonido vocálico)
an umbrella（母音の音）
an umbrella (모음 소리)
a European country (consonant sound)
a European country（辅音音素）
a European country (sonido consonántico)
a European country（子音の音）
a European country (자음 소리)
an honest person (vowel sound)
an honest person（元音音素）
an honest person (sonido vocálico)
an honest person（母音の音）
an honest person (모음 소리)
an hour
an hour 一个小时
an hour (una hora)
1時間
한 시간
some information
some information 一些信息
some information (algo de información)
いくつかの情報
약간의 정보

✗ Incorrecto

an university (wrong - 'yoo' sound is consonant)
an university（错误——'yoo'是辅音音素）
an university (incorrecto: el sonido 'yoo' es consonántico)
an university（間違い——'yoo'は子音の音）
an university (틀림—'yoo' 소리는 자음)
a hour (wrong - 'h' is silent, vowel sound)
a hour（错误——'h'不发音，元音音素）
a hour (incorrecto: la 'h' es muda, sonido vocálico)
a hour（間違い——'h'は無音、母音の音）
a hour (틀림—'h'는 묵음, 모음 소리)
a informations (uncountable noun)
a informations（不可数名词）
a informations (sustantivo incontable)
a informations（不可算名詞）
a informations (불가산 명사)

Origen e historia

From Old English 'an' meaning 'one'

Contexto cultural

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Más de este tema

the ★★★★★ Refers to specific nouns already known to speaker and lis... this / that / these / those ★★★★★ Demonstratives that point to specific things based on dis... Countable vs Uncountable Nouns ★★★★★ Nouns that can or cannot be counted Possessive Pronouns ★★★★★ mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs much / many / a lot of ★★★★★ Quantifiers for large amounts Articles with Places ★★★★★ When to use articles with locations and buildings