Definite article: the

The definite article the is used before a noun when the speaker or writer expects the listener or reader to be able to identify which person, thing, group or idea is meant. Unlike a/an, the can be used with singular and plural countable nouns and with uncountable nouns.

The table below shows which articles, or none at all, can be used with different types of nouns:

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When to use the definite article the to refer to something specific

The definite article is almost always used to refer to something specific in English. The following list explains when you should use the definite article.

1. When something has already been mentioned

If something or someone has previously been mentioned or introduced using the indefinite article a/an, and we refer to them again, we use the:

• A woman was robbed on her way home from work last night. The woman was walking along Main Street when she was attacked.
• A lorry crashed on the motorway shedding its load. The lorry was carrying four tons of baked beans.
• We stayed in a lovely hotel. The hotel had a huge swimming pool.
• She bought a car yesterday. She got a great deal on the car.

2. When the situation makes it clear which one you mean

If it is obvious or known which thing or person is being referred to, we can use the:

• I’m going to the supermarket. (the supermarket normally used/understood in this context)
• Please close the door. (which door should be obvious)
• I’ll meet you at the train station. (the other person already knows which train station)
• You shouldn’t look directly at the sun. (it is obvious that this refers to our sun)
• The president has resigned. (which president should be obvious in the context)

Likewise, if there is only one of something, or there is presumed to be only one, we can use the:

• He lives next to the church. (there is only one church in the village)
• Where’s the bathroom? (presumably there is only one)
• The hole in the ozone layer has started to close. (there is only one)
• I’ve never travelled south of the equator. (there is only one)
• The internet has changed the way people live their lives. (there is only one)

3. When a clause, phrase or modifier identifies which one

Words added before or after a noun can make it clear exactly which person, thing, group or idea is meant. In these cases, we can use the because the extra information makes the noun identifiable.

Defining relative clauses

A defining relative clause can identify exactly which person or thing is meant:

• The man who rang yesterday is here.
• The bus that goes to Manchester has been cancelled.
• Did she like the gift that I bought?
• We don’t like the food that David cooks.

Prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase can also identify which person or thing is meant:

• I love the food of Spain. (but: I love Spanish food)
• He is the son of Michael. (but: He is Michael’s son)
• The capital of France is Paris.
• We reached the end of the road.

Modifiers that identify a particular concept, group or area

Sometimes a word or phrase before a noun identifies a particular recognised concept, group or area:

• The greenhouse effect was first discovered by Carl Sagan. (a particular recognised effect)
• The banking industry employs millions of people worldwide. (the particular industry concerned with banking)
• The grandfather paradox suggests that time travel is not possible. (a particular recognised paradox)
• This will severely affect the retail sector. (a specific sector)

4. With superlatives, ordinals, only and same

Superlative adjectives (e.g., best, tallest, hottest) identify someone or something as having the highest or lowest degree of a particular quality, while ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third, etc) identify a particular position in an order or sequence. We therefore normally use the when they identify a noun:

• He is the most intelligent person I’ve ever met.
• The Statue of Liberty is the tallest statue in America.
• You’re the first person to arrive.
• That was the fifth time he rang.

Likewise, only makes a noun unique, while same identifies something as being identical to something already mentioned or understood. These words are commonly introduced by the:

• You are the only person I trust.
• That was the only brand they had in the supermarket.
• That was the same answer that you gave last time.
• We stayed at the same hotel last year.

Using the with names, places and other expressions

Most names of people, places and organisations are used without an article. However, some names are used with the. This is often because the name contains a common noun that is made specific by other words, or because it follows a common naming pattern in English. In other cases, the use of the is simply part of the established name.

1. Geographical names that use the

Many geographical names that use the follow the same pattern described above: a common noun is made specific by a name, modifier or phrase, although the common noun is sometimes omitted from the established name. For example, the Pacific Ocean may be shortened to the Pacific, and the Andes Mountains to the Andes. However, geographical names also follow established naming conventions, so the following patterns are useful to learn:

2. Names of organisations and abbreviations

Many organisation names contain a common noun, such as organisation, corporation, union, bureau or fund, that is made specific by the words that modify it. These names therefore use the in the same way as other specific noun phrases:

• the British Broadcasting Corporation
• the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• the European Union
• the United Nations
• the International Monetary Fund
• the World Health Organization

When these names are shortened to an initialism in which the letters are pronounced separately, the is normally retained:

• the British Broadcasting Corporation → the BBC
• the Federal Bureau of Investigation → the FBI
• the European Union → the EU
• the United Nations → the UN
• the International Monetary Fund → the IMF
• the World Health Organization → the WHO

However, when an abbreviation is pronounced as a word and becomes established as a proper name in its own right, it normally loses the, just like other organisation names such as Microsoft or Google:

• the North Atlantic Treaty Organization → NATO
• the National Aeronautics and Space Administration → NASA
• the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization → UNESCO
• the International Federation of Association Football → FIFA

3. Names of families

We use the before a plural family name to refer to the members of that family as a group. The family name is made plural in the same way as other countable nouns:

• The Simpsons
• The Obamas
• The Kardashians
• The Smiths

4. Names of newspapers

Many newspaper names use the in the title:

• The Times
• The Guardian
• The Daily Telegraph
• The Washington Post

5. Periods of time

We use the with many expressions referring to particular periods of time, including decades, centuries, historical periods and parts of the day:

• the 1990s
• the 21st century
• the Middle Ages
• the Jurassic period

We also say in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, although we say at night.

6. Services and institutions

We commonly use the when referring generally to certain services, institutions and systems, even when we are not referring to one particular person, organisation or place.

Public and professional services:

• Someone called the police.
• She was taken to the hospital.
• I need to go to the dentist’s.
• He’s gone to the doctor’s.

Media and entertainment:

• The story was widely reported in the press.
• I read about it in the newspaper.
• I heard it on the radio.
• We went to the cinema last night.

Means of public transport:

• I usually take the bus to work.
• We travelled there on the train.
• She takes the underground every morning.
• We caught the tram into the city centre.

When to use the definite article the to refer to something in general

While the definite article is almost always used to refer to something specific in English, it can also be used in certain situations to refer to an entire class, category or group in general. This use can sometimes sound more formal than using a plural noun with no article to express a similar general meaning. It is particularly common when referring to plants and animals, technology and inventions, groups of people, and musical instruments.

1. Plants and animals

We can use the with a singular name of a plant or animal to refer to the whole species or type in general. This is often more formal than using the plural noun with no article:

• The tiger is endangered. (Tigers are endangered)
• The lion is a fearless hunter. (Lions are fearless hunters)
• The rose is a symbol of love (Roses are symbols of love)
• The daffodil is the national flower of Wales.

2. Technology and inventions

We can also use the with the singular name of an invention or type of technology to refer to that invention or technology in general:

• The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
• The steam engine revolutionised transport.
• The computer has changed modern life.
• The iPhone changed the world forever.

3. Groups of people, including nationalities, referred to with adjectives

We can use the before certain adjectives to refer generally to a whole group of people who share that characteristic or nationality:

• The British like eating fish and chips. (British people)
• The rich should help the poor. (rich people / poor people)
• Society ignores the homeless. (homeless people)
• More needs to be done to get the unemployed back into work. (unemployed people)

4. Musical instruments

We commonly use the before the name of a musical instrument when referring to that instrument generally, especially when talking about playing or learning to play it:

• He plays the piano.
• I always wanted to play the guitar.
• She doesn’t know how to play the trumpet.
• All children learn to play the recorder at school.

When not to use the definite article the

Different languages use definite articles in different situations, so one of the most common mistakes in English is using the where no article is needed. In general, we do not use the when talking about things in general, with most proper names, or in a number of common expressions where English uses no article. The following sections explain the most important cases.

1. Don’t use the with plural or uncountable nouns when talking in general

When plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns refer to people, things, substances, ideas or concepts in general, we normally use no article. Using the would suggest that we are referring to a particular, identifiable group or amount:

• ❌ The dogs make great pets.
• ✅ Dogs make great pets.
• ❌ The education is important for the society.
• ✅ Education is important for society.

This also applies when an adjective modifies the noun but does not make it specific: Mexican food, hard work, global warming, climate change, etc.

2. Don’t use the with most proper nouns and names

Most names already identify the person, place, company or other entity being referred to, so they do not need the. This includes most names of people, countries, cities, companies and many geographical features and landmarks:

• ❌ She spent two years living in the France.
• ✅ She spent two years living in France.
• ❌ He works for the Microsoft.
• ✅ He works for Microsoft.

As explained above, there are established categories of names that do use the, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Alps and the British Library.

3. Don’t use the with days, months and individual years

The names of days and months and individual calendar years normally use no article:

• ❌ My birthday is in the April.
• ✅ My birthday is in April.
• ❌ He was born in the 1998.
• ✅ He was born in 1998.

This is different from decades, centuries and certain historical periods, which commonly use the: the 1990s, the 21st century, the Middle Ages.

4. Don’t use the with languages, school subjects or sports in general

Names of languages, academic subjects and sports normally use no article when referring to them generally:

• ❌ She speaks the Spanish fluently.
• ✅ She speaks Spanish fluently.
• ❌ He plays the football every weekend.
• ✅ He plays football every weekend.

The same applies to subjects such as history, biology, economics and mathematics.

5. Don’t use the with institutions when referring to their normal purpose

Some nouns referring to institutions or places use no article when we are referring to their normal function or purpose rather than to a particular building. Common examples include school, work, church and prison:

• ❌ The children are at the school until three o’clock.
• ✅ The children are at school until three o’clock.
• ❌ He was sent to the prison for five years.
• ✅ He was sent to prison for five years.

We can use the when we mean a particular building or institution rather than its general purpose: I parked outside the school.

6. Don’t use the with meals when referring to them generally

Names of meals such as breakfast, lunch and dinner normally use no article when referring simply to the meal or the activity of eating it:

• ❌ We usually have the breakfast at seven.
• ✅ We usually have breakfast at seven.
• ❌ Let’s have the lunch before we leave.
• ✅ Let’s have lunch before we leave.

A particular meal can use the when it is made specific: The breakfast at the hotel was excellent.

7. Don’t use the after by when describing a means of transport

When by describes how someone travels, we use the means of transport with no article:

• ❌ I travel to work by the bus.
• ✅ I travel to work by bus.
• ❌ They went to Spain by the plane.
• ✅ They went to Spain by plane.

This is different from expressions such as take the bus and catch the train, where the is normally used.

8. Don’t use the with certain titles, ranks and positions

We do not normally use the when a title is immediately followed by a person’s name. We also use no article when verbs such as elect, appoint and name are followed by the title of a position someone receives:

• ❌ The President Macron addressed the nation.
• ✅ President Macron addressed the nation.
• ❌ The board appointed her the CEO.
• ✅ The board appointed her CEO.

When the position itself is being identified rather than used as a title or new role, the is used normally: She is the CEO of the company.

9. Don’t use the when another determiner already identifies the noun

We cannot normally use the together with possessives (my, your, his, her, our, their), demonstratives (this, that, these, those) or determiners such as some and every in front of the same noun:

• ❌ I borrowed the my brother’s car.
• ✅ I borrowed my brother’s car.
• ❌ I don’t like the that restaurant.
• ✅ I don’t like that restaurant.

These words already perform the job of identifying or determining the noun, so an additional article is not needed.

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