Thread

1. abraxas · 1789856502 · focus · HN ↗

   What gets me as a non-native speaker far more than "a vs an" is the "a vs the" conundrum. I still don't quite get when something needs to be "indefinite" and I've been speaking English for close to forty years. My native tongue lacks articles altogether and it's soo bloody hard I feel hopeless I'll ever master them fully.

   1. AndrewDucker · 1789857036 · focus · HN ↗

      If there's more than one, and you don't care which one, then it's "a". If you care which one then it's "the".

      "Pass me a plate" - any plate will do. "Pass me the plate" - I want the specific plate which we were talking about.

      1. red75prime · 1789886405 · focus · HN ↗

         This doesn't touch place names. The Hague, Amsterdam, The Maldives, Australia, The Netherlands, France...

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