Practice
Why some country names use the
Sign in to saveWe say France, Japan, and Brazil, but the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The difference is not about the size or importance of a country. It comes from the usual English form of the whole name.
Choose the or no article before common country names by recognizing the established name pattern.
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
the United Kingdom and the Netherlands /ði juːˈnaɪtɪd ˈkɪŋdəm ænd ðə ˈnɛðələndz/
The short answer
Use no article with most country names, such as Italy, Mexico, and South Korea. Use the with plural names and names containing words such as states, kingdom, republic, or emirates: the Bahamas, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and the United Arab Emirates.
She moved from Brazil to the Netherlands for work.
Why it works: Brazil is a usual single-name country form, while the Netherlands is an established plural country name.
6 more examples
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My colleague is visiting Japan in October.
Japan is a usual single-word country name, so it does not take the.
Not this:My colleague is visiting
the Philippinesin October. What changes: Philippines is a plural country name, so the is part of its usual English form. -
They have family in the United States.
States is a plural common noun in the country name, so the is used.
Not this:They have family in
Canada. What changes: Canada is used as a country name on its own, without an article. -
The conference takes place in the United Kingdom.
Kingdom is a common noun in the established country name, so the is used.
Not this:The conference takes place in
Ireland. What changes: Ireland is normally used without the as a country name. -
The Czech Republic is in Central Europe.
Republic is a common noun in this established country name, so it takes the.
Not this:
Czechiais in Central Europe. What changes: Czechia is a short country name and is normally used without an article. -
We spent a week in the Bahamas.
Bahamas is a plural country name, so the belongs with the whole name.
Not this:We spent a week in
Barbados. What changes: Barbados is normally used without the as a country name. -
Ukraine exports grain to many countries.
The usual modern English country name is Ukraine, without the.
Not this:
The governmentof Ukraine published the report. What changes: The belongs to the specific common noun government, not to Ukraine.
Read the full guide
Read the complete country name before you speak or write it. A name such as Canada normally stands alone. A name such as the United Kingdom includes a common noun, kingdom, so the is part of the usual form. When you meet an unfamiliar country name, check a reliable dictionary, atlas, or style guide instead of applying one rule to every name.
Learn the country name as a whole
Do not decide from the first word alone. Read and remember the complete country name. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom both take the, but for different reasons. France and Kenya do not take the because their usual English names are ordinary proper names.
France shares borders with several European countries.
France is the complete country name, so it appears without an article in this sentence.
Which complete country name normally begins with the: Japan or the Netherlands?
Use the Netherlands. Japan normally has no article.
Use no article with most country names
Most country names are used without a, an, or the. This includes names such as Brazil, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, and Thailand. When the country name is the object of a preposition, the pattern stays the same: in Peru, from Thailand, and to Morocco.
Our flight from Singapore arrives late tonight.
From Singapore uses the country name on its own. Do not say from the Singapore.
Choose the usual form: She works in ___ Mexico.
Use no article: She works in Mexico.
Use the with plural country names
Some country names are plural in English. These names usually take the. Common examples are the Netherlands, the Philippines, the Bahamas, the Maldives, and the Seychelles. Learn the article together with the name so that you do not need to stop and translate it each time.
The Maldives is known for its islands and beaches.
Maldives is plural in form, so the is part of the established country name.
Choose the usual form: We are flying to ___ Philippines.
Use the Philippines because Philippines is a plural country name.
Use the with descriptive country names
Use the when an established country name contains a common noun such as states, kingdom, republic, or emirates. These words describe a political form or group inside the name. The article belongs to the full name: the United States, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates is on the Arabian Peninsula.
Emirates is a common noun in the full country name, so the usual form includes the.
Choose the usual form: His sister lives in ___ United Kingdom.
Use the United Kingdom because kingdom is part of the established country name.
Keep the article with longer noun phrases
An article before a nearby common noun does not always belong to the country name. Compare Ukraine with the government of Ukraine. Ukraine still has no article. The identifies the specific government. This distinction helps you write longer phrases accurately.
The capital of Japan is Tokyo.
The belongs to the specific noun capital. Japan itself has no article.
Where does the article belong in this phrase: ___ capital of Brazil?
Use the capital of Brazil. The identifies capital, not Brazil.
Check names with more than one form
A country may have a short name and a longer formal name. The two forms can use different article patterns. Say Czechia without an article, but say the Czech Republic. Do not assume that a shorter name always has the same grammar as a formal name. Check the exact form you intend to use.
Czechia joined the meeting online.
The short name Czechia has no article, while the longer name the Czech Republic includes the.
Which form is correct in this sentence: I read a report about Czechia or I read a report about the Czechia?
Use Czechia without the. The usual short country name has no article.
Before you go
Remember this
Most country names have no article: France, Japan, Brazil, and Ukraine. Use the with plural names such as the Netherlands and the Philippines, and with established names containing words such as states, kingdom, republic, or emirates. Treat the article as part of the whole country name, and check a reliable reference when you are unsure.
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 "Why some country names use the"
Why do we say France but the Netherlands?
France is a country name that normally stands alone, so it has no article. The Netherlands is a plural country name with an established article. Learn each full name with its usual pattern.
My colleague is visiting Japan in October.
Which country names use the because they are plural?
Common examples are the Netherlands, the Philippines, the Bahamas, the Maldives, and the Seychelles. These country names are plural in English, so they normally take the.
My colleague is visiting the Philippines in October.
Why do we say the United States and the United Kingdom?
These established country names contain common nouns: states and kingdom. English uses the with these full descriptive names. The same pattern appears in the United Arab Emirates and the Dominican Republic.
They have family in the United States.
Do we say the Ukraine?
The usual modern English country name is Ukraine, without the. If you see the Ukraine in older writing, do not copy it for ordinary current use. Use Ukraine unless a quoted historical source needs its original wording.
They have family in Canada.
Does the always belong to the country name?
No. In the capital of Japan, the identifies the specific noun capital, while Japan still has no article. Check whether the belongs to a nearby common noun or to the complete country name.
The conference takes place in the United Kingdom.