Please, learn the rules! When do we use “THE” in English? (+ when DON’T we?)

When do we use THE in English? When do we NOT use THE in English? Learn the rules for when to use the definite article, when not to use the definite article, and the pronunciation of THE!
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
00:35 FREE PDF and QUIZ
01:05 Pronunciation of ‘THE’
02:30 Why do we use ‘THE'?
03:50 When to use ‘THE’
08:22 When to not use ‘THE’
12:05 FREE PDF and QUIZ
12:18 Social Media
12:28 Courses
12:50 OUTRO
🎥 Video edited by Liva Barkar
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Personal/Vlogging Channel: bit.ly/LucyBella​​​
Instagram: @englishwithlucy
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#learnenglish #english #grammar

[@EnglishwithLucy]

I'm preempting some chat about American English using THE before hospital! Don't worry, I've got you covered! Check 11:50 onwards :) Don't forget to download the free lesson PDF! It's super detailed and it has a quiz! Perfect for revision! bit.ly/knowaboutthePDF

[@yxeanget-any]

thank you

[@mederic394]

Thanks a lot Lucy! You're a gorgeous English Teacher! Cheers from Morocco!:)

[@lili806....]

Mam, i want to ask if you could make a video on reporting dialogues and how to do editing tasks in grammar It would be a great help in my English exam Thank you ❤️

[@deandavis7862]

That is insanely complicated. So who is technically (according to the rules) right, the Brits or the Americans (on the hospital topic)? Or is it "on hospital topic"?

[@muneebahmad7633]

Very good effort 😊👍

[@jaxonmcalley]

After all these years of teaching us, you don't get lazier like some other KZbinrs, instead, you're doing much more to help us better understand each lesson. That's what I call dedication.

[@basiCKschool]

Exactly bro

[@raullemus7874]

I agree

[@orderla8877]

Honestly, I've learned almost nothing from her channel, (but she's a pleasure to watch, isn't she). Cheers!

[@HxTurtle]

@@orderla8877 so, you're insinuating, English is your first language but you watch her anyways? 😅

[@user-gk3du6wu7k]

Brilliant Lucy! Lovely teacher ❤️!

[@olablc531]

As a Polish native speaker, where we don't use articles at all, being fluent in English and having been taught about the articles since the first English lesson ever, it is still one of the most obscure and unintuitive topics for me. Thank you a lot!

[@Marie-ys6yw]

Why so few Poles speak English despite being in the EU?

[@alal4852]

​​@@Marie-ys6yw because we have our language, what is your second language??? EU has got 24 languages, I know three of them. How about you?

[@Erik20766]

@@alal4852 but this applies to all Europeans, yet knowing English is by far the most common. Is this that strange?

[@sticky-soup]

@@Marie-ys6yw you would be surprised, but since the UK left EU there's close to none native English speaking countries left in the EU. English being the "universal language" in EU has more to do with the influence of both UK and the US in the international cooperation, than with any EU mandated regulations regarding common language (outside of international politics its just not a thing). Getting to Poles, (I'm from Poland myself) I do see most young people being pretty good or at least decent at English, its more that the old folks who were raised in Soviet Union didn't really learn it cuz they had to learn Russian when they were young, and prior to the fall of Soviet Union, there wasn't much use for English for an average USSR citizen. Learning languages is just much easier when you're younger, compared to when you're already old, already have it all figured out in life, and don't really care about expanding your horizons. Hope that answers your question

[@Marie-ys6yw]

@@sticky-soup Poland was part of USSR? Okay I understand that refugees from Ukraine and Belarus, travellers from Lithuania etc understand Russian, but poles themselves... It's like in Finland - some border area/capital city area people speak Russian, but very few compared to Tallinn or Riga

[@Aspen7780]

As an American, I think of hospital and university as a specific place: a campus or building. Without the word “the” both hospital and university sound more like a vague concept rather than a real physical place. If I were to say “I went to the hospital” I would know exactly where you went. By saying “I went to hospital” my follow up questions would be “what hospital, which one, where?” It sounds about as vague to me as saying “I went to healthcare”. It sounds more conceptual than physical. Very cool and weird differences all from the same language. I love it. I have to say, I am thoroughly enjoying your channel and learning quite a lot about the English language. And that’s coming from someone whose primary language is English. I speak it but I have never had a strong grasp of the rules and grammar behind it so this is great! Great video!

[@Baritone45]

But we do say "I'm in college." and my son is "going to college". We NEVER say "My daughter is going to the college". Also, you can tell an American from a Briton, Canadian, or European because we say "He's in college". They say "She's at university". Even though most of us and our kids go to a university, we use "college" as a generic.

[@DeadCat-42]

You attend a college at a university. ... Making people mad lol.

[@mattwilson6552]

It's about the situation rather than the place. The fact that someone is in hospital is the primary fact, the follow up should be "oh no, what's wrong" rather than "which hospital?" .

[@Janey.Canuck]

When USAmericans were kids, did they attend the school?

[@artsnow8872]

@@mattwilson6552 Well, it's about BOTH place and reason for knowing. To know which hospital, we may be aware of their (the hospital's) treatments and the patients possible ailment. Also, if we know which hospital, we can decide if we may be able to travel to it, to visit the patient, and how to get to it.

[@Serrafimo_Spang]

As an American who lived in London for 15 years, I am still getting agro from my British wife for saying 'the hospital'. To save our marriage I am avoiding that place. So far so good.

[@artsnow8872]

Yes, (the) hospital is for (the) ill, or those treating the(m).

[@rumi9005]

I was born and bred in the UK. I'm 74 years old and I ONLY speak English. And this is the FIRST time I've actually noticed that I pronounce 'THE' differently depending on whether the following word starts with a consonant or a vowel. I always DO that correctly. But I do it completely unconsciously. Up until now I've never been aware I do it! I listened to the whole video and I'm astounded at how "THE' is used in English. Even though English is the ONLY language I speak

[@user-rd1hz9zj9l]

You do it completely unconsciously 'cause you heard it thousands times from your parents in childhood.

[@longkesh1971]

As an American, I have never pronounced 'the' like 'Thee'. Also, it would sound weird to me because it would sound like King James bible.

[@leecowell8165]

In England ENGLISH is spoken a bit different than here in the states. here we say In "the" hospital but in England its In hospital. I actually prefer your version and I started using it that way.. I'm 80yo. Something else. these politicians here never declared ENGLISH as the DEFAULT language. everything here is alleged to be "universal". well I like the Aussie approach. there you better speak ENGLISH because no other language is recognized! here we have our DL tests in like, 5 languages. In Australia its in ENGLISH ONLY! Finally if you live in the land you speak THAT LANDS language or learn it if you don't already know it. I have a lotta latino's around me here (in FL) that speak only Spanish (that refuse to learn English). it seems that we're losing it in our schools here too.

[@l4rjy]

The English came to Sri Lanka 400 years ago and lived there for 300 years but they never learned the language of the land except one word Curry 😂. All of the English came in a boat without documents. How’z that?

[@longkesh1971]

@@leecowell8165 Yeah, agreed we should make Seminole the official language of Florida and not let people change the language of the land. Or at least make it Spanish. Why would Florida allow all those white English speaking people to come in and think they have any claim to the language of the land?

[@peterzavon3012]

As a native speaker of American English, I found your listing of the circumstances when "the" is used in English to be very enlightening for the patterns it reveals. Native speakers generally know what "feels" right, but often miss the patterns..

[@biljanas7931]

“feel” is actually recognizing the pattern from extensive exposure to it, being subjected to it by listening, but never consciously acknowledging the rule, id say 😊 and yes, it is fun to realize one is following the rule without being aware of it ‘cognitively’

[@weirdboi3375]

The thumbnail is clickbait tho ngl

[@celesterosales8976]

So funny that native speakers enjoy these videos too! Glad I’m not the only one.

[@peterzavon3012]

@@biljanas7931 That's it, exactly

[@Ice.muffin]

​@@biljanas7931 Took the words out of my mouth, excellent.

[@neilfurby555]

What a captivating tutor, she really buzzes with enthusiasm and energy!

[@rcschmidt668]

She reminds me of the actress from a gum commercial.

[@jimnaden5594]

And none of the arrogance from so many who believe that their way of saying things is the only way permissible. I enjoy this kind of lesson.

[@MrBloodyLook]

THANK YOU!!! I've been learning English for over 30 years. However, since we don't have definite and indefinite articles in Slavic languages, mastering this topic presents a tremendous challenge for us. Despite completing my Master's and PhD in English and speaking English with most of my friends and my girlfriend, I continue to make many mistakes related to articles. This video is THE best one on this topic.

[@NeverLucky520]

You learning english in 30 years and don’t know when to use the in eng

[@velyotinkov5282]

With all due respect I have to correct you. Although the only one amongst slavic languages, Bulgarian does have definite and indefinite articles.

[@JayTemple]

I had barely started watching the video before I read your comment, and it has affected how I listen to her examples. For example, when she mentions saying "THE best meal," I wonder how you express it without a definite article.

[@tobortine]

I'm a native English speaker with over 50 years of experience of speaking English. I'm really glad I learned English by listening to everyone around me speaking English as I grew up because if I'd had to learn these rules I don't think I would have mastered it yet.

[@heroe1486]

That's litteraly how most people learn their native language

[@tobortine]

@@heroe1486 Of course it is, what's your point?

[@dannyjorde2677]

I’m more grateful for having learned Spanish before, since the only difficulty that English has is spelling and pronunciation, but Spanish grammar is more complex.

[@ichigo-roku]

I'm not a native English speaker but I'm not sure it's that useful to learn these rules, I've never learnt them, but by listening and reading a lot of English content, these rules seemed natural to me.

[@ibhistory106]

on the contrary, english is the easiest to learn even from european languages

[@georgetaspano]

I am a Romanian native speaker, and I've started to study English by myself when I was 14, and I have managed to learn it pretty well, I wish I had these kinds of video then. Fantastic job! Regards from 🇷🇴

[@chamara000]

I am from Sri Lanka. You have mentioned Sri Lanka in this video. So happy 😃 . Thank you so much for the valuable lesson.

[@hassankrisht718]

As a foreigner who learned the English language through movies and reading, I naturally learned to speak like a native without focusing too much on the rules. However, after a while, I noticed that there were some gaps in my English. I referred back to the rules to learn the basics, and over time, I became able to detect most mistakes in someone's speech, including pronunciation. However, I still make a few mistakes if I am too exhausted, nervous, or speaking with someone for hours about diverse subjects

[@yasminayahiaoui47]

The most beautiful teacher on KZbin ❤️ Thank you for your efforts 😘

[@Hazelaesthetic99]

We never get bored while watching you😁 Your beauty + voice + knowledge=💜😻

[@gurdyalsingh7817]

Please ma'am ka course kaise purchase kre or kya price h b1 ka

[@frankdsouza2425]

​@@gurdyalsingh7817 I hope you can understand what you have just written, Gurdyal. I am afraid, I cannot.

[@petersuozzo1227]

As someone that learned American English in the house concurrently with two other languages as their native tongue, I’ve been fascinated with languages but never really give much thought about some rules and none to others. This is one that I never stopped to think about at all. For this, and the other videos that I’ve found entertaining so far, thank you!

[@KyushuSensei]

I have been teaching English in Japan for the past 23 years. This video has been most helpful and I am considering taking it into classes to demonstrate exactly what is the definite, and indefinite article.

[@Robin-wj5pd]

Dear Lucy! I'm so grateful for your helpful videos. No other English teacher does it as well as you. Regards, Robin

[@ersrvd]

This video is "THE" answer to questions I've had for years. Thank you!

[@AfroKing.]

I see what you did there 😂nice

[@Fred2-123]

Yup. That's the "thee" for extra emphasis.

[@barborahalova3514]

Love this, as a non-native speaking I will use this wisdom wisely both in my hobby writing and in my essey writing! Thanks

[@sarathamarasekera891]

Thanks for mentioning the name of my country -SRILANKA!. I am a follower of your lessons on KZbin and find them very useful. Wish you the very best in all your endeavours.

[@ashikihsan1946]

Thank you Lucy for teaching me these rules to use " The" in certain situations and when not to use The in some sentences. I love learning English from you Lucy everyday. I want to speak like you like a native speaker

[@alessandrodior4914]

The explanation with specific examples is easy to understand. Thank you Lucy💖💖

[@akengere5682]

Thank you Lucy for always smiling while teaching.

[@nunyabeezwacks1408]

OMG, what a revelation! I'm a native English speaker, and I'm aware that I pronounce "the" both ways instinctively and correctly, but I never knew why. I've just subscribed and look forward to learning even more about English grammar and pronunciation. Thank you!

[@beniciocp]

Again, thank you very much for the video! I've always felt that something was still missing in my English spelling, and now I see these "details" watching your videos. It's helping me a lot!

[@arcticfoxism]

OMG Lucy! This is ALL I NEEDED!! It's wonderful and I can't thank you enough! I'm a teacher myself and have sent this video to the majority of my students! Lots of love, Kinga

[@allendracabal0819]

How did you decide which students to exclude?

[@jeremybrambles7992]

When i was at school I wasn't keen on english you make it sound a lot more interesting than I ever thought it was. You speak beautifully & explain things exceptionally well.

[@emregeylani]

Lucy you're the sweetest English teacher ever. Thank you!

[@originalsklaus]

It's really amazing, after basically six decades of living and graduating from college (university), you have given me greater understanding of the (😊) usage and pronunciation of "the". I have many times pondered the pronunciation. Thanks.

[@vinnynz]

Great job Lucy you're incredibly easy to listen to.

[@grahamnewton4381]

Always interesting to see the actual rules of the language you use daily but rarely think about why you say things the way you do.

[@pablo_bachi]

I've never imagined all these rules to follow about the right use of THE. Great video! Thank you.

[@NrutyaPatel]

Finally!!! I was waiting to get a lesson on the topic "THE" as I've seen people using both pronunciations and I often got confused about which way to pronounce them...Thank You So Much, Lucy❤

[@muntazimfarooque1810]

I also have same feeling about that

[@Superskull85]

As a native English speaker, I think it is very hard to give an exhaustive list of examples of when the is appropriate to use. It mostly comes down to how it feels when used and if it sounds misplaced. A big example is the hospital example. I have also witnessed a different feel for using the when talking with English speakers from India. That said I do think you did a great job at trying to describe that intuitive feeling.

[@rocketmoonshine9205]

Would you get confused if a non-native speaker leaves the out or uses a instead of the article when speaking to you? I'm just wondering.

[@cedricmallett4548]

​@@rocketmoonshine9205 It won't usually cause confusion if you leave "the" out, but it will stand out as unnatural-sounding. Using "a" instead of "the" can really change the meaning, though. Example: "Okay, I will wear the shirt" (maybe I didn't want to wear this specific shirt, but since you want me to, I will) vs. "Okay, I will wear a shirt" (I was going to go topless, but you've convinced me that I need to put on a shirt).

[@DarenC]

Yeah, as a native English speaker for more than 50 years, I'll definitely say "the hospital" sometimes. It very much depends on the context, such as whether I'm going as a patient or attending for some other reason. "I'm going to hospital", "I left my bike at the hospital" for example.

[@Koolumi]

That is what a teacher does... The "feeling" you talking about happens with native speakers of a language, basically because they do speak the language but not really know it

[@alexwinner3980]

Another well-crafted educational video content in English. The use of both definite and indefinite articles poses difficulty to many non-native speakers.

[@carlosmarcello]

I love this English teacher. I love Lucy.

[@MyDanymax]

Juicy Lucy, I'm so grateful for all your work here teaching us. Loveyousomuch.😀❤😀

[@aria_stein]

I got my B2 certificate exam in June and your videos help me a lot. Tysm Lucy

[@shahroozvezvezi2544]

Wich exam

[@mysterygirl2881]

@@shahroozvezvezi2544 It's which, not wich!

[@shahroozvezvezi2544]

@@mysterygirl2881 probably sth wrong with my phone

[@mysterygirl2881]

@@shahroozvezvezi2544 If it's your phone, I beg your pardon!

[@shahroozvezvezi2544]

@@mysterygirl2881 that's okay puzzle girl!

[@DonnieChoi]

Absolutely essential lesson. It is THE lesson we all need.

[@jefrreylanga6231]

My best teacher forever. Thanks a bunch for the lesson. I've been improving my English skills.

[@EnglishTeacherAnita]

Loved this! Very clear and concise. Thank you Lucy.

[@Drottninggatan2017]

Thank you the Lucy.

[@dophoyongznaga152]

💥 Lucy is the only one,, brilliant English teacher ever in this generation ...we need to deserve more teacher like Lucy .... l💓ve fr💓m (Nagaland )

[@user-vn4vj4ch2v]

Yes

[@aryankaran1]

Closing and opening music is just loving ...❤

[@lucky-gh5ox]

This is lady is a blessing.

[@SandpigVolleyball]

Thank you so much for this video. That last "don't" scenario has been bugging me my entire life. My job requires me to do a fair amount of translating and I never understood when and when not to use "the" before acronyms of large organizations, as sometimes I see "the" used before an acronym but sometimes I don't. It all makes sense now.

[@loulytanasri8129]

😍😍😍😍 I love seeing you around more often . Thanks Lucy

[@slowlearner4341]

Hello Lucy. No doubt that it's a highly needed for immigrants and well organized information. As you mentioned, usage of English will refill our lack and hesitations. So far your masterpiece is ordering coffee in Starbuck, I do believe. Especially the last few fragments. Stay healthy, you and your spouse. Thank you!

[@hsepo]

Lucy's English is so pleasant and clear.

[@ionela_andreea30]

Hi, Lucy💜! I hope you're doing well. I recommend you do a ROLE-PLAY Dialogue, I find them useful. Does anyone think the same???? As always your lesson was incredibly useful. Thank you! ❤

[@rmmccoy51]

THANK YOU for identifying the difference between American (the) and English (no the) hospitals. Just got introduced to your videos. Just for the record, here in the state of Oregon in the United States, we have a small city named The Dalles.

[@JonRowlison]

By her rules, I believe you live in United States. Not "The" United States. :)

[@frankfrei6848]

Didn't need this lesson at all but when *the* Lucy presents I cannot turn away, so very charming!

[@ayuashari402]

Its so happy learning with you Lucy…keep health and to be nice person ❤❤

[@davidmccormack99]

Use of ‘the’ by native speakers is sometimes dialectal and/or done just for colour. For example, many Irish people say things like “what did you do for the Christmas?” or “he really struggles with the German at school.” Also, to my Irish ears at least there is a subtle difference in meaning between “I need to go to hospital” and “I need to go to the hospital.” The former suggests something in the medium to long term but the latter suggests a more urgent need of treatment.

[@headlibrarian1996]

“To the hospital” is American dialect and “to hospital” is English dialect.

[@richardofoz2167]

​@@headlibrarian1996 No, you're just repeating a point Lucy made. David has picked up on a valid point. There IS a subtle distinction

[@davidmccormack99]

@@richardofoz2167 Thanks!

[@jasperkok8745]

Isn’t it also true that British English would use “the hospital” if someone is visiting a friend or relative who had been admitted to hospital rather than for receiving treatment or some kind of test themselves?

[@davidmccormack99]

@@jasperkok8745 I would think so, yes. If I say, “John is going to the hospital” I mean that he is actually going to the hospital building. But if I say, “John is going to hospital” I mean that he will be going to a non-specific hospital at some point, possibly right away but possibly in the future. It is really another way of saying, “John needs to go for medical treatment”. I should clarify though that I speak Hiberno-English (English spoken in Ireland) which, although very similar to British English, isn’t quite the same.

[@taipo101]

Hi Lucy, as you mentioned in your English dialects video about different speech patterns, , I am from north west England i.e. Wigan through Manchester, and we have a third pronunciation of "the"; we tend to say "th'" if followed by a vowel. For Example "thee elelephant" would be pronounced. "th' elephant" 😊

[@artsnow8872]

Yes, in the USA, the schwa is, sometimes, very muted, also... not "thuh".

[@acp45blue]

Excellent tutorial. Even though I'm a native English speaker (American) I always learn something interesting from your videos.

[@EricTheOld]

I love Lucy, she gives away her (vast) knowledge ❤

[@czuswoe]

For the Slavic group of languages this is a great help. We use our articles less often and in a different context, so it is always quite a struggle. Thank you!

[@andriikolesnyk279]

The only way for Slavic people (including me) not to be confused with using THE is Grammarly. I bet 90% of native speakers don't know these rules: their usage is based on what "feels" right.

[@coucouziki4792]

most of them don't even have articles

[@WhiteNightsCity]

I didn't know Slavic languages have articles.

[@TheJykub]

@@WhiteNightsCity We can use demonstrative pronouns if it's necessary to emphasize a particular object for example, "Send me the homework" (talking about one specific homework), we would say, literally "Send me that homework". But yeah, we don't have any single word or words that would function as articles generally speaking

[@neotokyo5154]

@@WhiteNightsCity I think the Bulgarian language has it (and maybe Slovenian too), but what is used there for the "the" article becomes a suffix for the noun.

[@user-kj2fj8qr9l]

Something I find interesting about Californian English vs other American English (maybe depends on NorCal vs SoCal) is the use of "the" before freeway numbers. People don't say "I405", but "the 405". idk if it's unique to SoCal geography, but there's also a tendency to use "the" before a generic noun to refer to something specific, like "THE Valley", "over THE hill", "North vs south of THE boulevard".

[@DAB2640]

The use of "the" before a highway number is definitely a difference between Northern California and Southern California dialects. I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1954 and only hear "the 405" or "the 101" from Southern Californians or people who grew up there. Another difference I ran into when I went to UCLA way back in 1966 was calling Highway 1 "PCH." We don't call it that up here, and it's only officially named that in Southern California. Near here it's the Cabrillo Highway officially, or just the Coast Highway conversationally. Not too surprising that there would be differences in dialect within California, since California is larger than the entire island of Britain.

[@john12mclaughlin]

My NorCal brother gives me grief for this all the time. I suspect the origin of this has to do with the original names of the freeways as place names -- The Ventura Fwy (aka the 101), the San Diego Fwy (aka the 405), the Artesia Fwy (aka the 91). The places were replaced with numbers but "the" was retained.

[@vmhanlon]

@@john12mclaughlin This is the best (only?) explanation for this north/south oddity I've ever heard. Makes perfect sense. Still annoying though.

[@mattsmith1126]

And you call your sister bro

[@rorytribbet6424]

It’s not. Idk about everywhere but I’ve lived in Chicago, Boston, and Phoenix and in all of those places they refer to highways as “the”

[@skybladeby]

This is the best tutorial I've seen! Thank you, Lucy!

[@adrianandrews2254]

Yes, but... I am 75 years old, English, "received" speaker: privately educated. I have NEVER pronounced the definite article as "thee" but always as "thu". To indicate specificity I would use "that hospital" rather than "the hospital".

[@alexandermando2286]

Thanks... You're an amazing and beautiful teacher. Appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication. ❤

[@cocosa8131]

Lucy is the most beautiful , fun £ entertaining teacher to learn from , thank you for sharing your videos GB!😘🌞

[@user-vn4vj4ch2v]

Thank you Lucy

[@matthewbuck5067]

As a native English speaker it’s so fun to have our language quirks pointed out. I didn’t even notice how and when we say ‘thah’ and ‘thee’. I think it’s a bit different in Canada but in many ways the same. Love your channel! Very interesting and educational.

[@user-oc4fu7gp2b]

I can't appreciate how you help me with English. Now, I'm improving my vocabulary and grammar with your videos. You're so helpful and I can understand 70% of your videos without subtitles

[@stonefireice6058]

you wanted to write: I can not appreciate ENOUGH your help ….. vOtherwise your sentence sounds negative.

[@user-oc4fu7gp2b]

@@stonefireice6058 oh, excuse me

[@user-nr9bj6uv7j]

Dear Lucy! Thanks a lot for your easy-going explanation of 'THE' topic! Good job! 👍From Russia with (my) love ❤

[@jamesmay5088]

Just another great video from Lucy🎉 Thank you very much❤

[@sandaniwithanage1998]

Well I'm a Sri Lankan and this made me happy! :) Thankyou for the lesson lucy!!

[@victorymatthew3745]

I love love love the breakdown. Thank u ma'am Lucy

[@johanfalkmarken]

I will watch this episode more than twice. Thank you for this one. Cheers from Stockholm

[@hemanthadesilva527]

Wow, Super Amazing..! A huge topic in a nutshell. Thank you so much 💖 Ma'am...!!!

[@NotKarolinaL]

You've done a bang up job! 🙂

[@sachinshrivastava3029]

Dear Lucy we'd like to hear from you about the use of 'determiners' as well.

[@deepakadroja6065]

Language becomes interesting with lovely Lucy. Thanks for this class.

[@gabriellagirardi4741]

Wonderful lesson, as usual. Thank you very much

[@jlpack62]

As an American, I don't know that I always pronounce "the" in the 2 different ways based on the rules you described. I'll have to pay attention to it. That said, it's astonishing how many things that native speakers take for granted and don't have to learn. Thank you for making me reflect on the privilege of having English as my native tongue!

[@sti15v]

I agree. As an American I use the first pronunciation almost exclusively. The second only for emphasis.

[@iamalphabetsoup1102]

​@Dana Jacobsen So you say "thuh owl," "thuh Andes Mountains," "thuh icicle," "thuh umbrella," and so on? I don't mean that to sound judgemental, I'm just trying to clarify. I don't think I could talk to someone for 5 minutes without being internally "driven up the wall" by that. I wouldn't be rude to them. I would probably try to gently express to them that their pronunciation was not aligning with the general standard, in case they were learning English as a secondary/tertiary/etc. language or something. But in my head I would be correcting them every single time; to "thuh" point that I would probably lose track of "thee" entire flow of the conversation. I don't expect perfection from others because I understand that they might not have the education I was privileged enough to have, or they might not be native English speakers. Goodness knows my Spanish is not on par with a native speaker! My discomfort in that above-mentioned conversation would have no bearing on my view of the speaker as a person. I just mean that "thuh" vs "thee" is such a fundamental habit for native speakers that it would stick out to me like a sore thumb and bother me internally even though I would never ascribe any value based judgements to the person speaking based on their mistake.

[@sti15v]

​​@@iamalphabetsoup1102 Yes, if there is a difference it is very subtle. Definitely not a 'thee' like in the video. I've listened to a few other sound clips and no, I sure don't say "thee ace of spades" like some clips I've heard. I'll try paying attention to movie pronunciations. After living in Thailand for a few years, I get used to hearing all sorts of different English pronunciations and accents as I meet visitors from various regions of the USA, England, Australia, NZ, India, etc. It's fascinating to hear the differences. I'm trying hard to not take your reply as extremely condescending to a large group of native speakers.

[@dodgermartin4895]

@@iamalphabetsoup1102 Yes, that is correct. In American English aka "American-lish," we do NOT have a vowel vs consonant way of saying "the," like this lesson indicates. So if you want the American way of using "the," this lesson would not apply. The only time I hear "thee" is in church when it is used as the Biblical way of saying "you." as in, "I pray to Thee, O Lord." I would never say, "thee Andes Mountains, I would most definitely say, "thuh Andes Mountains.

[@myspin9680]

As an American also, I exclusively use "the" with a shwa sound. Only a long E when using Old English for "thee".

[@vladimirfortakov9042]

Excellent! It is very well explained and provided with useful examples!

[@waltercruz9222]

Que ! Bella clase!!!!❤

[@happylife-pn7ew]

Hi ma'am, would you please do a video about the whole topics ( from beginners to advanced level) that come under grammar so as to approach it systematically?😊Hope you will see this comment 🙂

[@artem41k]

I think she has it, but not for free)

[@unhappykhan]

Thanks mam for my deeply heart ❤️❤️ From message Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camp

[@aportlimitedliabilitycompa6058]

Thank you, Lucy! This was really helpful.

[@user-zl4hf7mn7n]

Thank you lucy🎉for information you offer to us

[@lyndaek99]

Its really hard to learn a language without adequate exposure. Even native speakers don't know the rules so trying to learn through rules is really hard. You can learn the basics but after that you just really need to immerse yourself in it.

[@shockingheaven]

This is one of the things I was never taught to do. Most of my English knowledge came from curiosity, lyrics and other media, so I don't remember learning this. Same for the way you pronounce it when it's a consonant sound or a vowel. However, as you started talking, I realized how much I actually learned by mimicking speech patterns.

[@charleskramer7062]

I remember in the 1970s, I was an exchange student in Germany and took an English class just to see how it would be taught. The teacher laughed when I said, "My father is in the hospital." He said, "Oh, you've been in Germany so long you're forgetting your English -- it's 'In hospital.'" This led to a frustrating conversation in which I suggested that we (in the US) use "the" for locations we do not regularly go. Eg., "I'm in the hospital." or "I'm at the mall." But, "I'm at work." and "I'm at school." I rather doubt any grammar book would back me up on this, but it made sense to my teenaged mind at the time.

[@User48729]

Very important and interesting, we were waiting for this lesson for long time, thank you very much, Lucy, our big other problem is how and when we use "that" could you make a video about it please? 🙏

[@shifasaiyed6639]

Thank you so much for such kind of detailed information❤❤❤❤

[@MahfuzurRahman-wm8vs]

Your style is as charming as you. Your knowledge is as deeper as your look.

[@ajay_ff44]

Salute your teaching pattern 🌹😘🔥🔥

[@Btsarmyxaesthetic]

Hi mam I am from india I watch your all videos, I am your biggest fan

[@talkinghat88]

Now I can explain to my daughter about those rules you mentioned. Thanks Lucy!

[@amulyamishra5745]

Thank you for making this video!!! was much needed here

[@gosiakidd5646]

Never enough of this specific knowledge, thank you! Have lived in Scotland for 20 years, yet I still find the use of articles tricky. (Edited) Ps. I work in hospital and I hear my British colleagues say "in the hospital" at times...hmmm ;-)

[@billps34]

That's because it's accepted usage in Standard Scottish English. I'm Scottish, and I say "in the hospital" just like Americans do.

[@GeraldM_inNC]

I could swear my recollection from living in England during the 1980s was that the English say "in hospital".

[@aromaticsnail]

9:25 one of the exceptions: The Hague

[@leonoresalmantine]

I clicked just because of the hospital rule, had to wait till the end for it but that was an interesting lesson regardless 😅 well done Lucy^^ I speak american english (non native) and I was like there's no way "in the hospital" is incorrect 😆 I never realized british english was different on that one !

[@ChristianBrown-sc3pk]

You're doing a wonderful job. Thank you

[@a.n.sangma.1441]

Llistening your grammar teaching I remember my middle school life and forget all my grey hair. Thank you very much Lucy.

[@ribionakzalatoi]

Hi Lucy, very useful thanks :) I’d like to see a lesson about the word “only”, where to place it in a sentence. I find it very confusing sometimes, since the meaning can change completely. For example, should we say “I only eat vegetables” or “I eat vegetables only”…

[@noragar]

As a native English speaker, I don't interpret any difference between "I only eat vegetables", "I eat only vegetables", and "I eat vegetables only" and I think any would be acceptable based on personal preference. There may be a small difference depending on which word you want to emphasize. If you said "Only I eat vegetables", then that would have a totally different meaning than the other three.

[@richardofoz2167]

So glad to see your comment. That's something that has always bugged me, because so few people place it correctly, producing such ambiguity. Most people place it early in the sentence, widely separated from the thing qualified, and leaving it to the listener to interpret the correct meaning. As in "I only eat vegetables" as opposed to sticking them up my ass.

[@pdubb9754]

"My cousin plays violin" also works, I believe. I also think it is optional with the University exception you mentioned. "I teach chemistry at University of York" sounds ok to my ear.

[@anafurlanes]

I recently started studying English again but the word THE has always left me confused. This video clarified a lot!

[@Sergei_Goncharov]

Thank you Lucy, the usage of articles is one of the most weird and important topics in learning English!