📘 Articles – Full Grammar Notes (A, An, The) (English → Hindi)
1. What are Articles? (Articles क्या होते हैं?)
Articles are words used before nouns to define them as specific or general.
Articles के प्रकार:
✔ Indefinite Articles — a, an
✔ Definite Article — the
Hindi Meaning:
Articles वे शब्द हैं जो संज्ञा से पहले उपयोग होते हैं और उनका अर्थ निश्चित/अनिश्चित बनाते हैं।
2. Indefinite Articles: A & An (अनिश्चित उपपद)
✔ Use **a** before consonant sounds.
Example: a boy, a cat, a bag, a university
✔ Use **an** before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u).
Example: an apple, an egg, an idea, an hour
Important:
Sound is important, not spelling.
Examples:
- a European country (starts with “yu” sound)
- an honest man (starts with silent ‘h’ → “onest”)
3. Where to Use A/An? (A/An का प्रयोग)
✔ किसी एक वस्तु/व्यक्ति का संकेत:
- a boy (एक लड़का)
- an umbrella (एक छाता)
✔ जब noun का पहली बार उल्लेख हो:
- I saw a dog. The dog was black.
✔ किसी समूह का एक सदस्य दर्शाने के लिए:
- He is a doctor.
- She is an engineer.
✔ Profession के साथ हमेशा a/an:
a teacher, a lawyer, an actor
4. Definite Article: THE (निश्चित उपपद)
THE is used for specific or known things.
Use of THE:
✔ पहले से ज्ञात वस्तु:
- I saw a dog. The dog was barking.
✔ Unique things (केवल एक):
the sun, the moon, the earth
✔ Superlative degree:
the best, the tallest, the most beautiful
✔ Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Oceans:
the Ganga, the Himalayas, the Pacific Ocean
✔ Musical instruments:
play the guitar, the piano
✔ Famous buildings:
the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort
5. When NOT to Use Articles? (Articles का प्रयोग कब नहीं होगा?)
❌ No article before **general plural nouns**:
- Girls are playing. (लड़कियाँ खेल रही हैं)
❌ No article before **names of people**:
- Ram is here. (not “the Ram”)
❌ No article before **languages**:
- She speaks English.
❌ No article before **meals**:
- We eat breakfast at 8 AM.
❌ No article before **sports**:
- He plays cricket.
6. Common Mistakes (आम गलतियाँ)
❌ He is the engineer.
✔ He is a engineer (or an engineer depending on sound)
❌ I saw the elephant in the road.
✔ I saw an elephant in the road. (first time)
❌ She plays a piano.
✔ She plays the piano.
❌ The Mount Everest
✔ Mount Everest (no article)
7. Quick Summary (त्वरित सारांश)
✔ A — consonant sound
✔ An — vowel sound
✔ The — specific/known/unique things
✔ No article with:
- meals
- languages
- sports
- general plurals
Examples:
a car, an orange, the sun, the best, Mount Everest