Bestemt kendeord
Ordet "the" er et af de mest brugte ord på engelsk. Det er det eneste bestemte kendeord. Navneord på engelsk har det bestemt kendeord foran sig, når taleren antager, at lytteren allerede ved, hvad han/hun refererer til. Taleren kan antage dette af mange grunde, nogle af dem er beskrevet herunder.
Når man bruger "the"
Generelle regler
Brug the til at referere til noget, som allerede er blevet nævnt.
Eksempler
- On Monday, an unarmed man stole $1,000 from the bank. The thief hasn't been caught yet.
- I was walking past Benny's Bakery when I decided to go into the bakery to get some bread.
- There's a position available in my team. The job will involve some international travel.
Brug the, når du antager, at der kun er én af noget på stedet, selvom det ikke er blevet nævnt før.
Eksempler
- We went on a walk in the forest yesterday.
- Where is the bathroom?
- Turn left and go to number 45. Our house is across from the Italian restaurant.
- My father enjoyed the book you gave him.
Brug the i sætninger eller ledsætninger, hvor du definerer eller identificerer en bestemt person eller genstand.
Eksempler
- The man who wrote this book is famous.
- I scratched the red car parked outside.
- I live in the small house with a blue door.
- He is the doctor I came to see.
Brug the til at referere til personer eller genstande, der er unikke.
Eksempler
- The sun rose at 6:17 this morning.
- You can go anywhere in the world.
- Clouds drifted across the sky.
- The president will be speaking on TV tonight.
- The CEO of Total is coming to our meeting.
Brug the før superlativer eller ordenstal.
Eksempler
- This is the highest building in New York.
- She read the last chapter of her new book first.
- You are the tallest person in our class.
- This is the third time I have called you today.
Brug the ved tillægsord, der refererer til en hel gruppe personer.
Eksempler
- The French enjoy cheese.
- The elderly require special attention.
- She has given a lot of money to the poor.
Brug the ved årtier.
Eksempler
- He was born in the seventies.
- This is a painting from the 1820's.
Brug the ved ledsætninger, der indledes med with only
Eksempler
- This is the only day we've had sunshine all week.
- You are the only person he will listen to.
- The only tea I like is black tea.
Egennavne
Brug the ved navne på geografiske områder, floder, bjergkæder, øgrupper, kanaler og have.
Eksempler
- They are travelling in the Arctic.
- Our ship crossed the Atlantic in 7 days.
- I will go on a cruise down the Nile.
- Hiking across the Rocky Mountains would be difficult.
Brug the ved lande, hvis navne er i flertal.
Eksempler
- I have never been to the Netherlands.
- Do you know anyone who lives in the Philippines?
Brug the ved lande, der har ordene "republic", "kingdom", eller "states" i deres navne.
Eksempler
- She is visiting the United States.
- James is from the Republic of Ireland.
Brug the ved navne på aviser.
Eksempler
- I read it in the Guardian.
- She works for the New York Times.
Brug the ved navne på berømte bygninger, kunstværker, museer eller monumenter.
Eksempler
- Have you been to the Vietnam Memorial?
- We went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa.
- I would like to visit the Eiffel Tower.
- I saw King Lear at the Globe.
Brug the ved navne på hotellet & restauranter, med mindre disse er opkaldt efter en person.
Eksempler
- They are staying at the Hilton on 6th street.
- We ate at the Golden Lion.
Brug the ved navne på familier, men ikke ved enkeltpersoner.
Eksempler
- We're having dinner with the Smiths tonight.
- The Browns are going to the play with us.
Når man ikke bruger "the"
Brug ikke the ved navne på lande (undtagen de specifikke tilfælde nævnt ovenfor).
Eksempler
- Germany is an important economic power.
- He's just returned from Zimbabwe.
Brug ikke the ved navne på sprog.
Eksempler
- French is spoken in Tahiti.
- English uses many words of Latin origin.
- Indonesian is a relatively new language.
Brug ikke the ved navne på måltider.
Eksempler
- Lunch is my favorite meal.
- I like to eat breakfast early.
Brug ikke the ved navne på personer.
Eksempler
- John is coming over later.
- Mary Carpenter is my boss.
Brug ikke the ved titler, når de bruges sammen med titler.
Eksempler
- Prince Charles is Queen Elizabeth's son.
- President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
Brug ikke the efter ejefald.
Eksempler
- His brother's car was stolen.
- Peter's house is over there.
Brug ikke the ved professioner
Eksempler
- Engineering is a well-paid career.
- He'll probably study medicine.
Brug ikke the ved navne på butikker.
Eksempler
- I'll get the card at Smith's.
- Can you go to Boots for me?
Brug ikke the ved årstal.
Eksempler
- 1948 was a wonderful year.
- He was born in 1995.
Brug ikke the ved utællelige navneord.
Eksempler
- Rice is an important food in Asia.
- Milk is often added to tea in England.
- War is destructive.
Brug ikke the ved navne på enkelte bjerg, søer eller øer.
Eksempler
- Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in Alaska.
- She lives near Lake Windermere.
- Have you visited Long Island?
Brug ikke the ved de fleste navne på byer, gader, stationer eller lufthavne.
Eksempler
- Victoria Station is in the centre of London.
- Can you direct me to Bond Street?
- She lives in Florence.
- They're flying into Heathrow.