Practice
What is a determiner in English?
Sign in to saveYou want a pen, but do you mean any pen, that pen, or my pen? The small word before pen gives the listener the missing detail.
Identify common determiners and choose one that makes a noun clear by showing which one, whose one, how many, or how much.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Could you pass me that blue folder? /kʊd juː pɑːs miː ðæt bluː ˈfəʊl.də/
The short answer
A determiner comes before a noun to make its meaning more specific. It can show which noun you mean, whose it is, or its amount.
Could you pass me that pen?
Why it works: That points to one particular pen, so the listener knows which pen you mean.
5 more examples
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I left my keys on the kitchen table.
My tells us whose keys they are.
Not this:I left
the keyson the kitchen table. What changes: The points to keys that the listener can identify from the situation. -
This bus stops near the museum.
This points to one bus that is close or currently relevant.
Not this:
That busstops near the museum. What changes: That points to a different or more distant bus. The noun stays the same. -
We bought three tickets for the concert.
Three tells us the number of tickets.
Not this:We bought
some ticketsfor the concert. What changes: Some gives an amount without naming the exact number. -
Every student needs a library card.
Every refers to all the students, one at a time.
Not this:
Many studentsneed a library card. What changes: Many refers to a large number, but not necessarily all the students. -
She is looking for an apartment near work.
An introduces one apartment without saying which apartment it is.
Not this:She is looking for
the apartmentnear work. What changes: The suggests that the listener already knows which apartment is meant.
Read the full guide
Look at the start of a noun phrase when a sentence feels unclear. In a new book, the words a and new come before book, but a is the determiner. It tells us that the speaker means one book without saying which book. A different determiner can change the message: the book, my book, this book, or three books.
Give the noun a focus
Imagine you are standing by several bags. If you say, Pass me a bag, any suitable bag may be fine. If you say, Pass me that bag, you point to one bag. The small word changes how clearly the noun is identified.
Please put this bag by the door.
This tells the listener which bag you mean in the current situation.
You can see one umbrella near the chair. Which phrase points to it: this umbrella or an umbrella?
Use this umbrella when you point to the particular umbrella near the chair.
Choose a, an, or the
At a reception desk, you might ask for a visitor badge because any one badge will do. Later, you can ask for the badge because both people know which badge is being discussed. Use an before a vowel sound, as in an email or an hour.
I need an envelope for this letter.
An introduces one envelope without identifying a particular one.
The envelope is on the front desk.
The now refers to an envelope that the listener can identify.
Choose the best first request at a hotel: Can I have a towel? or Can I have the towel?
Can I have a towel? works when you do not mean one known towel.
Show whose thing it is
A missed call can cause confusion when several phones are on a table. Say my phone, your phone, her phone, or their phone to show the connection. These possessive determiners come before the noun. They do not use an apostrophe: my jacket, its handle, and our plan.
Your receipt is in the small envelope.
Your identifies the receipt as the one connected with the listener.
Which word shows that the charger belongs to a group of people: their charger or the charger?
Use their charger. Their shows the connection to those people.
Name an amount or number
Before a meeting, the number of chairs may matter. Say three chairs when the exact number is known. Say some chairs when the number is not named. Use every chair when you mean all the chairs one by one. Words about quantity can help the listener plan the right amount.
Some guests have arrived already.
Some tells us that there is a group of guests, without an exact number.
Each guest receives a name tag.
Each looks at the guests one by one.
Which phrase gives an exact number: some messages or five messages?
Five messages gives the exact number.
Leave a noun general when needed
When you talk about a whole kind of thing, English can leave out the determiner. Dogs need exercise means dogs in general. Water is cold means water in general. Add a determiner when you mean a particular group or amount: the dogs in our yard or some cold water.
Books can make a long train ride easier.
Books refers to books in general, so no determiner is needed.
The books on this shelf are for children.
The points to one identified group of books.
Which sentence talks about coffee in general: Coffee keeps me awake or The coffee keeps me awake?
Coffee keeps me awake talks about coffee as a general substance.
Before you go
Remember this
Use a determiner before a noun when you need to show which one, whose one, how many, or how much. Common choices include a, an, the, my, this, some, every, many, and numbers. Keep the main question simple: what detail does the noun need?
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "What is a determiner in English?"
What is a determiner in simple words?
A determiner is a short word before a noun that helps identify the noun. It can say which thing you mean, whose thing it is, or how many there are. In my keys, my identifies the keys as the speaker's keys.
I left my keys on the kitchen table.
Are a, an, and the determiners?
Yes. A and an introduce one noun without identifying a particular one. The points to a noun the listener can identify from the situation or earlier context. The choice between a and an depends on the next sound.
I left the keys on the kitchen table.
Are my, your, and their determiners?
Yes. My, your, his, her, its, our, and their come before a noun and show a connection or ownership. In your receipt, your tells us which receipt is meant. These forms do not need an apostrophe.
This bus stops near the museum.
Can numbers be determiners?
Yes. A number before a noun gives an exact quantity, as in three tickets. Other quantity words can give a less exact amount. Some tickets means more than one ticket, but it does not tell us the number.
That bus stops near the museum.
Does every noun need a determiner?
No. English can use plural nouns and uncountable nouns for a general meaning without a determiner. Books can be useful refers to books in general. Add a determiner when you mean a particular group, a number, an amount, or an owner.
We bought three tickets for the concert.