Cái, con, người...

the house

cái nhà

the cat

con mèo

Ấy, này (người, cái, con...)

I dislike the man

tôi không thích người này

Duy nhất (người, vật...)

he is the shoemaker here

ông ta là người thợ giày duy nhất ở đây

(trước một từ so sánh) càng

the sooner you start the sooner you will get there

ra đi càng sơm, anh càng đến đấy sớm

so much the better

càng tốt

the sooner the better

càng sớm càng tốt

Adj. (called the definite article)1 denoting one or more persons or things already mentioned,under discussion, implied, or familiar (gave the man a wave;shall let the matter drop; hurt myself in the arm; went to thetheatre).

Serving to describe as unique (the Queen; theThames).

A (foll. by defining adj.) which is, who are, etc.(ignored the embarrassed Mr Smith; Edward the Seventh). b(foll. by adj. used absol.) denoting a class described (from thesublime to the ridiculous).

Best known or best entitled tothe name (with the stressed: no relation to the Kipling; this isthe book on this subject).

Used to indicate a followingdefining clause or phrase (the book that you borrowed; the bestI can do for you; the bottom of a well).

A used to indicatethat a singular noun represents a species, class, etc. (the catloves comfort; has the novel a future?; plays the harp well). bused with a noun which figuratively represents an occupation,pursuit, etc. (went on the stage; too fond of the bottle). c(foll. by the name of a unit) a, per (5p in the pound; œ5 thesquare metre; allow 8 minutes to the mile). d colloq. orarchaic designating a disease, affliction, etc. (the measles;the toothache; the blues).

(foll. by a unit of time) thepresent, the current (man of the moment; questions of the day;book of the month).

Brit. colloq. my, our (the dog; thefridge).

Used before the surname of the chief of a Scottishor Irish clan (the Macnab).

Dial. (esp. in Wales) used witha noun characterizing the occupation of the person whose nameprecedes (Jones the Bread).

Adv. (preceding comparatives inexpressions of proportional variation) in or by that (or such a)degree; on that account (the more the merrier; the more he getsthe more he wants).

All the in the full degree to be expected(that makes it all the worse). so much the (tautologically) somuch, in that degree (so much the worse for him). [(adj.) OE,replacing se, seo, th‘t (= THAT), f. Gmc: (adv.) f. OE thy, the,instrumental case]