Omisión del artículo
1. Artículo indefinido: a / an
Se omite:
a) Delante de un sustantivo en plural:
- a car / cars
- a house / houses
You can see a house over there / You can see houses over there
b) Delante de nombres genéricos de sustancias (wine, milk, gold, wood, silver, petrol, blood...): No obstante, si un sustantivo genérico se utiliza con un sentido concreto, para hacer referencia a algo determinado, entonces sí lleva artículo: What a good wine!
c) Delante de nombres abstractos (happiness, justice, fear, help, love, future, hope...):
d) Delante de nombres de comidas; breakfast, lunch, dinner,... Salvo cuando van precedidos por un adjetivo calificativo: What a delicious dinner you have prepared!
2. Artículo definido: the
Se omite:
a) Con nombres abstractos, salvo que se utilicen con un sentido particular:
- Justice is the basis of any political system
- In Spain the justice works very slowly
b) Delante de nombres de deportes:
- He plays tennis (football)
c) Delante de nombres genéricos en plural:
- Sport cars are always expensive
- Men practise sport more than women
- Children learn foreign languages more easily than adults
- In Spain dentists are very well paid
Salvo cuando se utilizan con un sentido concreto:
- Last weekend we went to Paris with the children
- All the dentists I know advise you to brush your teeth after every meal
d) Con los sustantivos "home" / "work":
Last Friday I stayed at home all evening
He goes to work
e) Con los sustantivos "bed" / "church" / "prison" / "school"/"university" ... cuando se hace referencia a su finalidad básica:
To go to bed (to sleep)
To go to church / to come back from church (to pray)
To be in hospital / to leave hospital (as a patient)
To stay in prison (as a prisoner)
To be back from university / to leave school (as a student)
Pero cuando se hace referencia a estos lugares por otros motivos (por ejemplo, ir a un hospital de visita) entonces sí llevan artículos:
- I went to the hospital to visit my wife
- I went to the university to ask for information
