A vs An: How to Use English Indefinite Articles
Use 'a' or 'an' before a singular countable noun the first time you mention it or when it isn't a specific one. The choice depends on the sound that follows, not the letter: pick 'an' before a vowel sound and 'a' before a consonant sound. That's why we say "I need an umbrella" and "Wait an hour" (the 'h' is silent), but "a university" and "a one-way street" (those start with a 'y' and 'w' sound). Don't drop the article either: in English we say "She is a nurse," never "She is nurse."
Examples
- She is a nurse. her job is nurse
- I need an umbrella. the speaker needs an umbrella
- Wait an hour. wait for one hour
The full lesson
Everything in the video, in text.
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Is it a hour or an hour? If you choose by the spelling, you'll often get it wrong.
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In English, you usually can't drop the article. Before a singular countable noun you've not mentioned yet, you need a or an. The only question is which one.
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Here's the whole rule. Use an before a vowel sound, and a before a consonant sound. The key word is sound — what you hear, not what you write.
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Most of the time spelling and sound agree. A word starting with a consonant letter usually starts with a consonant sound — and the opposite for vowels.
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Start simple. Nurse begins with a consonant sound, so it takes a. She is a nurse.
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Umbrella opens with a clear vowel sound, so it takes an. I need an umbrella.
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Now the tricky ones. Hour is spelled with an h, but the h is silent — you say our. That's a vowel sound, so it's an hour. Wait an hour.
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And the reverse. University starts with a vowel letter, but you say yoo-niversity — a y sound, which is a consonant sound. So it's a university. She studies at a university.
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Same trick with honest — the h is silent, you say onest. Vowel sound, so an. He made an honest mistake.
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The first big mistake is dropping the article completely. In many languages you can say I am teacher — but English needs the article. It's I am a teacher.
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The second mistake is choosing by the letter instead of the sound. It's never a hour or an university — listen to the first sound and let your ear decide.
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One more handy case: single letters and abbreviations follow their sound too. M is pronounced em, a vowel sound — so it's an MP, an FBI agent. She is an MP.
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So remember: always include the article, and choose it by the sound. Vowel sound takes an, consonant sound takes a.