a/an vs the

a/an = one of many. the = the one we both know.

a/an = salah satu dari banyak. the = yang kita berdua sudah tahu.

See it

Tekan Play, lalu jelajahi tiap adegan.

🐕

Dian saw a dog.

First mention: any one of many — we don't know which yet. Pertama disebut: salah satu dari banyak — belum tahu yang mana.

First time you mention something → a/an Pertama kali menyebut sesuatu → a/an

I saw a dog near the warung. Saya melihat seekor anjing dekat warung.
Mention it again → the (now we know which) Sebut lagi → the (sekarang tahu yang mana)

The dog was black and thin. Anjing itu hitam dan kurus.
Only one exists, or we both know which → the Hanya ada satu, atau kita berdua tahu → the

Close the door. The sun is hot today. Tutup pintunya. Matahari panas hari ini.
One of a job/type (singular) → a/an Salah satu profesi/jenis (tunggal) → a/an

She is a nurse. He is an engineer. Dia perawat. Dia insinyur.

🇮🇩 Saya beli buku.
- I bought a book.
- I bought the book.
- I bought books.
Satu kalimat Indonesia bisa jadi tiga arti berbeda di Inggris: satu buku (baru disebut), buku tertentu, atau beberapa buku.
🇮🇩 Anjing itu lapar.
- The dog was hungry.
'itu' menandakan anjing yang sudah kita tahu → the dog.

✗ I am teacher.

✓ I am a teacher.

Profesi tunggal butuh a/an: a teacher.
✗ I have car.

✓ I have a car.

Benda tunggal yang bisa dihitung butuh a: a car.
✗ Can you pass salt?

✓ Can you pass the salt?

Garam yang ada di meja kita berdua tahu → the salt.
✗ She is best student in class.

✓ She is the best student in class.

Superlatif (best) selalu dengan the.
✗ I saw a dog. A dog was hungry.

✓ I saw a dog. The dog was hungry.

Penyebutan kedua memakai the, bukan a lagi.

I read ___ book last week. ___ book was about Bali.

Saya baca ___ buku minggu lalu. ___ buku itu tentang Bali.
It's cold. Please close ___ window.

Dingin. Tolong tutup ___ jendela.
My brother is ___ nurse at a hospital.

Kakak saya ___ perawat di rumah sakit.