Indefinite Articles (a/an)

“A” and “an” are used with singular countable nouns when referring to something non-specific or mentioned for the first time.

A vs. An

Use “A” Before Consonant Sounds

• a book
• a car
• a dog
• a university (sounds like “yoo-”)
• a European (sounds like “yoo-”)
• a one-way street (sounds like “won-”)

Use “An” Before Vowel Sounds

• an apple
• an egg
• an idea
• an hour (silent “h”)
• an honest person (silent “h”)
• an MBA (sounds like “em-”)
• an x-ray (sounds like “ex-”)

Rule: It’s about the SOUND, not the letter!

When to Use A/An

1. First Mention (Non-specific)

• I saw a dog in the park.
• She’s reading a book.
• There’s an apple on the table.

2. One of Many

• He’s a teacher. (one of many teachers)
• Paris is a beautiful city. (one of many beautiful cities)

3. Job, Nationality, Religion

• She’s a doctor.
• He’s an engineer.
• I’m a German.
• She’s a Buddhist.

4. With “What” in Exclamations

• What a beautiful day!
• What an interesting idea!

5. Per/Each Meaning

• twice a week (= per week)
• $50 an hour (= per hour)
• 60 miles an hour

6. With Certain Expressions

• have a headache / a cold / a fever
• take a break / a rest / a look
• make a mistake / a decision
• in a hurry / a moment / a way

When NOT to Use A/An

1. Plural Nouns

• a books → books
• I like a dogs → I like dogs

2. Uncountable Nouns

• a water → water
• an information → information
• a advice → advice
• a furniture → furniture

3. Before Adjective + Uncountable Noun

• a good weather → good weather
• a beautiful music → beautiful music

4. With Possessives and Demonstratives

• a my book → my book
• an this idea → this idea

A/An with Adjectives

Place a/an before the adjective:

• a big house
• an old car
• a very interesting book
• an extremely difficult question

Common Expressions

With “A”

• a lot of
• a few
• a little
• a couple of
• a great deal of

With “An”

• an amount of
• an example of

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