Articles (a / an / the / zero)
You can choose correctly between a, an, the or nothing before a noun.
Start the 8-question quizAdapts to your answers · every miss links back to the rule
Rule in 60 secondsThe one pattern to memorise.
- Kural 1: İlk bahsetme: a/an (I saw a cat). Tekrar bahsetme: the (The cat is black).
- Kural 2: an + sesli harf SESİ (an apple, an hour, an umbrella).
- Kural 3: Herkesin bildiği tek şey: the (the sun, the moon, the internet).
- Kural 4: Mesleklerde a/an şart:
She is a teacher.
- Kural 5: Genel çoğul ve soyut isimlerde sıfır artikel: Cats are cute. / I like music.
- Kural 6: Yemekler, diller, sporlar, çoğu özel isim: sıfır artikel.
- Kural 7: the + sıfat = grup: the rich, the young, the Turkish.
- Kural 8: Gazete/otel/süperlatif genelde the ister: the news, the Hilton, the first.
- Kural 9: same her zaman the ile:
the same book,the same day.
- Kural 10: Enstrümanlarda the:
play the piano,play the guitar.
- Kural 11: Televizyon genel anlamda -siz:
watch Ø TVamaturn off the TV(cihaz).
- Kural 12: Radyo hep the ile:
listen to the radio,on the radio.
FormsHow it looks in sentences.
| Form | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a / an | first mention, one of many | I saw a dog. / She ate an orange. |
| a / an | jobs, "one" | He is a teacher. / Wait a minute. |
| a / an | a + consonant sound, an + vowel sound | a university, a car / an umbrella, an hour |
| the | already known / mentioned before | I bought a car. The car is red. |
| the | unique things, superlatives | The sun is hot. / The best film. |
| the | places, instruments | the cinema, the hospital / play the guitar |
| zero (−) | plural/general, abstract | Ø Dogs are friendly. / I like Ø music. |
| zero (−) | meals, languages, sports | I had Ø breakfast. / She speaks Ø English. |
| zero (−) | names, cities, countries (mostly) | Ø Ali lives in Ø Ankara. |
| zero (−) | the + nationality adjective = people | the Turkish = Türkler (genel grup) |
- Not 1: the Turkish (halk) vs Turkish (dil):
She speaks Turkish.amaThe Turkish drink tea.
3 classic trapsWhere Turkish speakers slip.
Bu bölümdeki 3 tuzağa tek bakışta dikkat et.
- İlk cümlede the yok: okur daha bilmiyorsa a/an — ✗ I bought the car. (ilk kez anlatırken) → ✓ I bought a car — İkinci cümlede the serbest: The car is fast; Dinleyici "hangi araba," diye soruyorsa the erkendir.
- Mesleklerde a şart: TR'de eksiz, EN'de a var — ✗ She is teacher. → ✓ She is a teacher; ✗ He is engineer. → ✓ He is an engineer — Çoğulda a düşer: They are teachers.
- Genel çoğulda the yok: genel konuşurken at — ✗ The cats are cute animals. (genel) → ✓ Ø Cats are cute animals — Ama belirli kediler: The cats in our street are cute; Kural: genel = Ø, belirli = the.
10 example sentencesRead aloud, twice.
Her cümleyi sesli oku, önce İngilizceyi sonra Türkçesini söyle.
- I have a cat and a dog. — Bir kedim ve bir köpeğim var.
- She ate an apple. — Bir elma yedi.
- The cat is sleeping. — (Bahsettiğimiz) kedi uyuyor.
- He is an engineer. — O bir mühendis.
- The moon is very bright tonight. — Ay bu gece çok parlak.
- I like Ø coffee. — Kahve severim. (genel).
- Ø Children need love. — Çocukların sevgiye ihtiyacı vardır. (genel).
- Let's meet at the station at 5. — Saat 5'te istasyonda buluşalım.
- She plays Ø tennis every day. — Her gün tenis oynar.
- I had Ø lunch with a friend. — Bir arkadaşımla öğle yemeği yedim.
Quick checkCover the answers, say yours first.
- Fill in: ___ sun rises in the east. (a / the / Ø)
Answer
<b>The</b> sun rises in the east. (tek, herkesçe bilinen)
- Fill in: My father is ___ doctor. (a / the / Ø)
Answer
My father is <b>a</b> doctor. (meslek → a)
- Correct: The books are expensive. (genel anlam, tüm kitaplar)
Answer
<b>Ø Books</b> are expensive. (genel çoğul → sıfır artikel)