Introduktion
Brug the, når både taler og tilhører ved, hvilken bestemt ting der henvises til – fordi den allerede er nævnt, fordi der kun findes én, eller fordi sammenhængen gør det tydeligt, hvilken der menes.
- I bought a phone. The phone is really fast.
- Close the door, please.
- The sun rises in the east.
Hovedanvendelser af the
| anvendelse | eksempel |
|---|---|
| anden omtale | I saw a film. The film was great. |
| unikke ting | the moon, the internet, the sky |
| superlativer | the best, the most expensive, the tallest |
| ordenstal | the first time, the second floor |
| geografiske forhold | the Amazon, the Alps, the Sahara, the Pacific |
| landegrupper / unioner | the United States, the Netherlands, the EU |
| musikinstrumenter | she plays the piano, he learnt the guitar |
| årtier | music from the 1980s |
| fælles kontekst | Let's meet at the café. (begge ved hvilken) |
Enkelte navngivne bjerge og søer står normalt uden kendeord: Mount Everest, Lake Como – i modsætning til bjergkæder (ranges) og grupper af søer, der får kendeord: the Alps, the Great Lakes.
I uformelt amerikansk engelsk udelades the nogle gange ved musikinstrumenter: she plays piano. Formelt og britisk engelsk beholder det: she plays the piano.
Hvornår man IKKE bruger the
| uden the – brug nulartikel | eksempel |
|---|---|
| de fleste landenavne | I live in France, not the France. |
| byer | She lives in London. |
| sprog | He speaks Spanish. |
| sport og spil | They play football. |
| måltider generelt | We had dinner at eight. |
| utællelige / flertal brugt generelt | Water is life. Dogs are loyal. |
| school / work / bed som institutioner | She goes to school. He is at work. |
Kontrast: I am going to school (som elev) vs The school on my street is new (en bestemt bygning). Funktionen og henvisningen afgør, hvilken form der er korrekt.
Almindelige fejl
- The life is short.Life is short.general concept - zero article
- I play the football.I play football.sport - no article
- She lives in the France.She lives in France.country - no article
- He went to the bed.He went to bed.fixed expression
Øvelser
I bought a phone. ___ phone is really fast.
___ sun rises in the east.
Which sentence is correct?
She goes to ___ school - she's twelve.
She plays ___ piano. (britisk engelsk)
Music from ___ 1980s.
He speaks ___ Spanish.
They play ___ football.
We had ___ dinner at eight.
___ Amazon is a famous river.
He is at ___ work.
She is ___ best student in the class.
He went to ___ bed after a long day.
___ EU has 27 member states.
It was ___ first time she had visited Paris.
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