the

ISO 639-3 language code for Chitwania Tharu.

Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ...because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter.

• I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
• You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
• The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.

The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable... ...because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter.

• I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
• You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
• The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.

...because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter.

• I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
• You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
• The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.

...because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge. Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.

• No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
• God save the Queen!
• Let's go to the park!

Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.

• No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
• God save the Queen!
• Let's go to the park!

Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.

• No one in the whole country had seen it before.
• I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
• Take me to the airport/station/hospital/office/park/match/meeting/et cetera.

Used before a body part, a family member, a pet (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.

• A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
• How's the wife? (= "How is your wife?")

Precedes a familiar nickname or other term of address.

• How's the Sal today?

Used in many idiomatic expressions and proverbs to refer to common objects, roles, or situations connected with something definite, in the manner of an analogy.

• square the circle; feel the pinch; beat around the bush; throw the baby out with the bathwater

When stressed, indicates that it describes something which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.

• That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.

When stressed, used before the name of a famous person, to distinguish said person from a hypothetical lesser-known person with the same name.

Used before a noun phrase beginning with superlative or comparative adjective or an ordinal number, indicating that the noun refers to a single item.

• That was the juiciest apple pie ever.
• May the better man win.

Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.

• The downy woodpecker can be found in the same environments as the hairy woodpecker.

Used with the plural of a surname to indicate the entire family.

• The Bushes have held political office for several decades and the Kennedys longer.

Used with an adjective Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.

• That apple pie was the best.
• Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
• One doesn't choose the color of one's chess pieces; the white are assigned to the player who moves first.

Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.

• That apple pie was the best.

Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.

• Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
• One doesn't choose the color of one's chess pieces; the white are assigned to the player who moves first.

Used before a demonym ending in -ish or -ese to refer to people of a given country collectively.

• the Irish are...; the Chinese are...; the French are...

↑ Dunkel, George E. (2014), Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems]‎ (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, pages 732-733

With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.

• The hotter(,) the better. (comma usually omitted in such very short expressions)
• The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
• The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.

With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.

• It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
• It was a difficult time, and I’m {none - not any} the wiser for it.
• I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.

Beyond all others.

• We went the furthest under her leadership.
• They trusted him the most.

For each; per.

• valued at half a pound the bushel; paying seven dollars the year interest

Early Modern form of thee.