Opens in a new tab
Find your level

English The Indefinite Article

Use a or an before one person or thing that is not specific: a meeting, an email. Choose by the first sound, not the letter: a university, an hour.

  • CEFR A1
  • 10-question quiz
  • 2 exercises
a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound
  1. school→a schoolconsonant sound /s/
  2. email→an emailvowel sound /i/
  3. hour→an hoursilent h, vowel sound
  4. university→a universitystarts with a /y/ sound
  5. European country→a European countrystarts with a /y/ sound
  6. MBA→an MBAM is said 'em'

Learn when and how to use the indefinite article “a/an” when using singular nouns.

“A/a” is an indefinite article used before a singular noun
“An/an” is an indefinite article used before a singular noun (or an adjective before it) that begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), e.g. an unusual pet.
We do not use a/an before a plural noun.

Exceptions:
An hour (h is not pronounced)
A university (pronounced “yuniversity”)
A European country (pronounced “yuropean”)

Examples:
A school, a student, a teacher (singular)
Schools, students, teachers (plural)

An egg, an onion, an eagle (singular)
Eggs, onions, eagles (plural)

  • She works in a school.
  • They live in a city.
  • She is an artist.
  • He is an engineer.

There is/There are

“There is” is used for singular nouns, “There are” is used for plural nouns.

CORE Languages English The Indefinite Article

Examples:

There is a big pool in the backyard.

There’s something in my bag.

There isn’t any music at this party.

Is there a coffee shop near here?

CORE Languages English The Indefinite Article

Examples:

There are too many people here.

There are many TV channels.

There aren’t many things to do today, because it is raining.

Are there any malls near here?

Key vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
aone, not a specific one; before a consonant soundI have a meeting at ten.
anone, not a specific one; before a vowel soundPlease send me an email.
an hour60 minutes; the h is silentThe training lasts an hour.
a universitystarts with a 'you' sound, so we use aShe works at a university in Ohio.
a one-time offerone sounds like 'won', so we use aThis is a one-time offer for new customers.
a / an + jobwe use a or an when we say someone's jobHe is an engineer, and his wife is a doctor.
there is a ...says that one thing existsThere is a coffee shop near the office.
there are ...says that more than one thing exists; no a/anThere are two printers on this floor.

Practice: English The Indefinite Article

Work through the exercises, then test yourself with the quiz. Learn from your mistakes and try again as often as you like.

Exercises

Choose a or an

Write a or an. Listen to the first sound of the next word.

  1. She is ______ accountant.

    vowel sound

    Show answer

    an

  2. I need ______ new laptop.

    consonant sound

    Show answer

    a

  3. We waited for ______ hour.

    silent h

    Show answer

    an

  4. He studies at ______ university in Texas.

    'you' sound

    Show answer

    a

  5. Do you have ______ umbrella?

    vowel sound

    Show answer

    an

  6. It was ______ honest mistake.

    silent h

    Show answer

    an

  7. She has ______ office on the fifth floor.

    vowel sound

    Show answer

    an

  8. This is ______ useful tool.

    'you' sound

    Show answer

    a

  9. My brother is ______ IT manager.

    I is said 'eye'

    Show answer

    an

  10. We have ______ big project this month.

    consonant sound

    Show answer

    a

There is or there are?

Complete the sentence with there is or there are.

  1. ______ a parking lot behind the building.

    one parking lot

    Show answer

    There is

  2. ______ three new people on our team.

    more than one

    Show answer

    There are

  3. ______ an email from your manager.

    one email

    Show answer

    There is

  4. ______ many restaurants near the station.

    more than one

    Show answer

    There are

Quiz: 10 questions

1. _____ alligator is dangerous.
2. _____ university is a place of learning.
3. I like _____ apples.
4. _____ owl is _____ unusual pet.
5. The store is having _____ one-time deal on 4K HDTVs.
6. Italy is _____ European country.
7. I am _____ American, but my parents are _____ Peruvian.
8. We have _____ hour before our flight.
9. She has _____ M.S. in Electrical Engineering.
10. _____ water is a fluid.

Not sure which level you are?

Take a free placement test and get your CEFR level, then start with the topics that fit it.

Find your level