Los artículos ingleses se deciden con dos preguntas, en este orden. Primera: ¿hablo de esto en general o de un ejemplar concreto? Si es en general y es incontable o plural, no va nada. Segunda: si es concreto, ¿sabe mi interlocutor exactamente cuál? Si lo sabe, «the»; si no lo sabe, «a». Todo lo demás son listas de casos fijos.
| Artículo | Cuándo | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| a, an | uno cualquiera, la primera vez que se menciona | I bought a lamp for the kitchen. |
| the | los dos sabemos cuál, o ya se mencionó | The lamp was broken when it arrived. |
| no article | en general, con incontables y plurales | Lamps are cheaper online than in shops. |
| the, único en el mundo | hay uno solo y todos lo conocen | The sun was already behind the mountains. |
| no article, casos fijos | instituciones vistas como función, comidas, transporte | She goes to school by bus after lunch. |
| the, con el mismo sustantivo | el edificio concreto, no la función | I parked outside the school and waited. |
Escuche
Listen to how the article changes with the situation. I bought a lamp yesterday afternoon. The lamp arrived broken this morning. Lamps are much cheaper on the internet. She goes to school by bus every day. I waited outside the school for an hour.
El caso de «school», «hospital», «prison» y «university» merece su propio párrafo. Sin artículo significa la función: «he is in hospital» quiere decir que está ingresado. Con artículo significa el edificio: «he is at the hospital» puede ser el visitante o el fontanero. Es el único sitio donde el artículo cambia el hecho, no el tono.
| Cuantificador | Con qué sustantivo | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| many, a few, very few | solo contables en plural | There are very few boxes left. |
| much, a little, very little | solo incontables | We still have very little space. |
| a lot of, plenty of, some, no | los dos, contables e incontables | There is plenty of room in the van. |
| hardly any | los dos. Significa casi nada, y es afirmativo | There is hardly any paint in the tin. |
| too much, too many | de más, un problema | You have kept far too many magazines. |
| enough | los dos. Va delante del sustantivo | We do not have enough shelves for these. |
Escuche
Now listen to the difference that one word makes. I have a few friends in this city. I have very few friends in this city. There is a little milk left in the bottle. There is very little milk left in the bottle. We have hardly any time before the train leaves.
La diferencia entre «a few» y «few» es de actitud, no de número. «I have a few friends here» es positivo: tengo algunos. «I have few friends here» es negativo: tengo pocos y me quejo. Lo mismo con «a little» y «little». En el inglés hablado «few» y «little» a secas suenan formales, y se prefiere «very few» y «very little».
Complete con «a», «the» o deje el hueco vacío escribiendo «no article».
- ___ information you gave me yesterday was very useful. (The · An · no article)
- ___ furniture is much more expensive than it used to be. (The · A · no article)
- My sister is in ___ hospital after her operation. (the · a · no article)
- I left the car outside ___ hospital and walked in. (the · a · no article)
- She works as ___ engineer for a German company. (the · an · no article)
- We usually have ___ lunch at about two o'clock. (the · a · no article)
Ver soluciones
- The
- no article
- no article
- the
- an
- no article
Elija el cuantificador correcto según el sustantivo sea contable o incontable.
- There were ___ people at the market on Sunday. (much · too many · a little)
- We have ___ space left in the garage now. (very little · very few · many)
- I only need ___ minutes to finish this. (a little · a few · much)
- There is ___ paint left in that old tin. (hardly any · hardly some · few)
- Do we have ___ chairs for everybody tonight? (enough · much · a little)
- She gave me ___ advice about the interview. (a few · some very good · many)
Ver soluciones
- too many
- very little
- a few
- hardly any
- enough
- some very good
