whats the difference "a" and "the"?

Question

i sometimes see americans use a sentence like this

this is a cake i made for my son's 5th birthday

on the other hand some say like this is THE cake i made for ,,,,,birthday

are these sentences different? or same??

a and the are sometimes used as the same??

when you use a , it means you only made one?

Answer 1

Using "a" indicates that a subject is either being brought up for the first time (You wouldn't say "THE cake" if you hadn't mentioned it before would you?) or that there are more than one of the subject. (This is A toy I gave to my son. Is it THE only toy? No, he has many toys.)

"The" can be used to allude to something previously discussed and denotes that it is THE subject you had mentioned and not something similar. (Is that THE cake you were telling me about? No that's just A cake.)

Another difference is that "the" can be used to call attention to a specific thing; unlike "a" which could many anything of the same type. (Look at THE car over there. (specific car) Look A car over there. (anything that is a car)

Answer 2

'a' is an indefinite article. It is not and specific refers to a noun in general. 'the' on the other hand is a definite article. It refers to a specific noun.

This is a cake I made for my son's 5th birthday.

This sentence means that the cake might be one of many cakes made for the boy's 5th birthday.

This is the cake I made for my son's 5th birthday.

This sentence means it is THE cake that was made; the only cake.

Answer 3

In your example, "a cake" and "the cake" mean the same thing.
In general, "a" is an indefinite article and "the" is a definite article. If you are speaking of a specific cake, use "the" .If you are speaking of a cake in general, and there could be others, use "a".

Answer 4

Technically, "a" is used when you are talking about something non-specific, for example, "I need to buy a new t.v."
Or, "I need to bake a cake for my son's birthday."

"The" means something specific, for example, "Turn on the tv." It means a specific tv.
Or, "My son sat in the cake before we sang Happy Birthday." You wouldn't say "a" here because you mean a specific cake.

This is the correct usage, but people sometimes mix them up.

Answer 5

"The" is a definite article, which means it talks specifically about the cake that you made. "A" is more general and refers to a cake.

Answer 6

The cake is more specific; a cake is more general.

Answer 7

If they say "a" cake. It would indicate to me that there could be more. "The" is very specific that there is only one.

Answer 8

a - It's an indefinite article. Used when the subject is being addressed generically.
an -It's a definite article. Used when the subject is specifically addressed.

Answer 9

"the" is usually referring to one already being talked about. "a" introduces it. When you said this is "the" cake it is understood that you had mentioned it earlier.

Answer 10

A only talks about one object. The can talk about many!!