Free worksheet
Try the quiz
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Do you enjoy climbing mountains and swimming in lakes? Beth and Phil talk about being outdoors, and our grammar guru Georgie explains how to use articles like 'a', 'an' and 'the'.
_____________
Grammar explanation
a/an
Use 'a' or 'an' when you first introduce something. Then use 'the' when the person you're talking to knows what you're talking about.
Examples:
We're going to a party to celebrate Lara's birthday. Are you coming?
I can't. I have to work tonight.
The party was so much fun. Sorry you missed it.
But, we don't use an article when speaking in general about something.
Examples:
I prefer coffee to tea.
Phones are so expensive these days. I can't afford a new one!
Countries
We don't use 'the' for most countries.
Examples:
Canada, Japan, Poland, Rwanda, Vietnam
Use 'the' when countries are commonly known by their abbreviations, or if they are related to a group.
Examples:
The UK, The USA, The UAE, The DRC
The Phillipines, The Bahamas, The Seychelles
The Netherlands, The Czech Republic
Geography – use 'the'
Use 'the' with the names of rivers, seas, canals, deserts and mountain ranges.
Examples:
the river Thames, the Nile, the Ganges
the Red Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean
the Grand Union canal, the Panama canal, the Suez canal
the Gobi desert, the Sahara, the Atacama
the Himalayas, the Andes, the Pyrenees
Geography – don't use 'the'
We don't normally use 'the' with the names of individual mountains and lakes.
Examples:
Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Snowdon
Lake Baikal, Lake Victoria, Lake Louise
To do
Test yourself using the quiz.
NEXT
Watch Tenses with Georgie
Try some of our other grammar programmes
Latest Learning English Grammar
Predicting the future
Episode 251007 / 07 Oct 2025
What's the difference between 'will' and 'going to'?
Hobbies we enjoy doing
Episode 250930 / 30 Sep 2025
Do you 'learn to play' or 'learn playing' a musical instrument?
Things we collect
Episode 250923 / 23 Sep 2025
What's the difference between 'loads of' and 'lots of'?
Regrets
Episode 250916 / 16 Sep 2025
Learn to talk about your regrets using wish, the third conditional and more
Reminiscing
Episode 250909 / 01 Aug 2025
Learn how to use would, used to and the past simple to talk about your memories
Preferences
Episode 250902 / 02 Sep 2025
What's the difference between prefer, would prefer and would rather?
To-do lists
Episode 250826 / 26 Aug 2025
What's the difference between 'need to do' and 'needs doing'?
