The correct answers are I ordered a pizza. The pizza was delicious!, We tried a new dessert. The dessert had chocolate and strawberries, and There was an interesting dish on the menu. The dish was from Thailand.
Use a/an (indefinite article) when mentioning something for the first time. Use the (definite article) when referring back to it—now both speaker and listener know which one! The incorrect pairs switch this order, which doesn't make sense.
Article
Articles are a small group of determinatives that signal whether a noun refers to something specific or something general. English has just three: the definite article the and the indefinite articles a and an. There's also a meaningful absence — the zero article — where no article appears at all. Mastering articles is one of the trickiest parts of English, because the rules involve both grammar and context.
The Definite Article: the
Use the when you expect the listener or reader already knows which thing you mean. This could be because it was mentioned before, because the situation makes it obvious, or because there's only one.
- I bought a jacket. The jacket was on sale.
- Can you close the door?
- The sun was setting behind the mountains.
The Indefinite Articles: a and an
Use a or an when introducing something for the first time or referring to any one member of a group. These only work with singular, countable nouns. Use a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds.
- She adopted a dog.
- He ate an apple.
The choice between a and an depends on the sound the next word starts with, not its spelling:
- ✅ an honest mistake (silent h → vowel sound)
- ❌ a honest mistake
- ✅ a university (starts with a /j/ consonant sound)
- ❌ an university
Self-check: Say the next word out loud. If it starts with a vowel sound, use an. Spelling can mislead you — trust your ear.
The Zero Article
The zero article means no article appears before the noun. This isn't random — it follows clear patterns.
Generic or indefinite plurals and mass nouns:
- Coffee keeps me awake. (mass noun, general reference)
- Cars need fuel. (plural, generic reference)
Certain institutions when used in their typical function:
- She's in hospital. (as a patient — standard in British English)
- He went to prison. (as an inmate)
When you mean the physical building rather than its function, add the:
- ✅ The plumber went to the prison to fix the pipes.
Other common zero-article contexts:
- Meals: Breakfast is ready.
- Years: She was born in 1995.
- Titles as complements: They elected her captain.
Quick Summary
| Article | Use it when… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the | The listener knows which one | Pass me the salt. |
| a / an | Introducing or generalising (singular, countable) | I need a pen. |
| zero (∅) | Generic plurals, mass nouns, institutions-as-functions, meals, years | Life is short. |
To put these rules into practice, try Articles Basics for core patterns, Articles: A, An, The & Zero Article for broader coverage, or Articles Advanced for trickier cases.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
CEFR A2 is the second level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, often called elementary or pre-intermediate. If you're at this stage, you've moved beyond the basics of A1 and can handle simple, real-life communication — but you're still building the foundations you'll need for B1 and beyond.
What can an A2 learner do?
At A2, you can:
- Understand everyday expressions related to familiar topics — personal details, family, shopping, work, and your local area.
- Communicate in routine situations that involve a simple, direct exchange of information (e.g. ordering food, asking for directions, making small talk).
- Describe your background and immediate environment in simple terms — where you live, what you do, what you need.
- Read and understand short, simple texts like signs, menus, timetables, and brief personal messages.
Key grammar at A2
At this level, you're expected to be comfortable with several core grammar areas:
- Past simple and past continuous — talking about completed actions and actions in progress in the past.
- Present perfect — connecting past events to the present (I've visited London twice).
- Basic modal verbs — expressing ability, permission, necessity, and possibility (can, must, should, have to).
- Common question forms — both simple and slightly more complex (How long have you lived here?).
- Articles and determiners — using a/an/the correctly, along with words like some, any, few, little.
- Basic conditionals — first conditional and simple uses of if and wish.
You're also expanding your vocabulary through collocations (natural word pairings like make a decision or take a break) and learning to use gerunds and infinitives with common verbs.
How A2 differs from A1 and B1
Compared to A1, A2 learners can do more than just produce isolated phrases — you can link simple sentences and participate in short conversations. Compared to B1, you're still relying on familiar contexts and predictable language; handling unexpected topics or expressing opinions in detail comes at the next level.
Self-check: If you can describe your daily routine, talk about past experiences, and handle a basic conversation at a shop or restaurant — but struggle when the topic gets abstract or unfamiliar — you're likely at A2.
Practice at this level
Try these challenges to test and strengthen your A2 skills: Is your English level A2/Pre-intermediate? Test your English CEFR Level!, Basics. Present Perfect., and Basics. Common More Complex Questions..
Difficulty: Medium
Medium difficulty. Difficulty levels represent author's opinion about how hard a question or challenge is.