As it has been said before, there are two articles: the definite sa and the indefinite ain. It should be noted that they aren't used as frequently as in English or French. As is the case with the continuous verbal forms, use of the two articles is largely optional, especially in spoken language, where they aren't always consistently used.
There are, however, certain cases, where the use of the articles is obligatory:
- Before subordinate clauses beginning with relative pronounes (je, jan, jar etc.), e.g. sa xuz, in jam ik liba 'the house in which I live', ain boka, je ik las 'one of the books that I have read';
- When a countable object is introduced for the first time, the indefinite article is obligatory (ain guma inlidit sa rum 'a man enters the room');
- Once a countable object has been introduced, the next time it is used with sa: ik nevr sap sa guman erza 'I've never seen the man before'.
In other cases, the countable objects may be referred to without any articles, sometimes with the use of demonstrative pronouns or words like sum 'some', engen 'any, some kind of'.
There are some cases, when absence of articles is obligatory:
- Abstract nouns. There are virtually no cases in which they have an article, cf. sxouni, je ik in izi sap with English 'the beauty that I saw in her';
- In Genitive constructions, e.g. tjons a Poula 'Paul's dog', and a stillin 'the end of silence'.
- When a countable noun is referred to as an abstract category, and not as a discrete object. Consider the following sentence: min aiþi ist doktors 'my mother is a doctor'. In this case the word doktors signifies a profession, and not a healthcare worker. The situation is different in the following context: min aiþi ist ain doktors in s'nepst seukxuza 'my mother is a doctor at the nearest hospital', because in this case the word means 'one of the employees of a particular institution'.
Similar difference is observed in the following example: frjonds ist xispas, jas at þis pesjt 'a friend is someone who cares about you' vs. is ist ain frjonds f'Poula 'he is a friend of Paul's',
There are, however, certain cases, where the use of the articles is obligatory:
- Before subordinate clauses beginning with relative pronounes (je, jan, jar etc.), e.g. sa xuz, in jam ik liba 'the house in which I live', ain boka, je ik las 'one of the books that I have read';
- When a countable object is introduced for the first time, the indefinite article is obligatory (ain guma inlidit sa rum 'a man enters the room');
- Once a countable object has been introduced, the next time it is used with sa: ik nevr sap sa guman erza 'I've never seen the man before'.
In other cases, the countable objects may be referred to without any articles, sometimes with the use of demonstrative pronouns or words like sum 'some', engen 'any, some kind of'.
There are some cases, when absence of articles is obligatory:
- Abstract nouns. There are virtually no cases in which they have an article, cf. sxouni, je ik in izi sap with English 'the beauty that I saw in her';
- In Genitive constructions, e.g. tjons a Poula 'Paul's dog', and a stillin 'the end of silence'.
- When a countable noun is referred to as an abstract category, and not as a discrete object. Consider the following sentence: min aiþi ist doktors 'my mother is a doctor'. In this case the word doktors signifies a profession, and not a healthcare worker. The situation is different in the following context: min aiþi ist ain doktors in s'nepst seukxuza 'my mother is a doctor at the nearest hospital', because in this case the word means 'one of the employees of a particular institution'.
Similar difference is observed in the following example: frjonds ist xispas, jas at þis pesjt 'a friend is someone who cares about you' vs. is ist ain frjonds f'Poula 'he is a friend of Paul's',
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