A or An

As you already know, we use a/an  with singular, general nouns, when we’re not talking about a specific thing. Of course, there might be an adjective befote the noun.

She's a student. She's a Spanish student.

(the noun is singular and general, the adjective is irrelevant, so we use a before it)

We use a or an depending on the sound that the adjective or noun begins with.

We use a before adjetives / nouns that begin with a consonant sound:

a student, a Spanish actress

a house, a horrible house

We use a before adjetives / nouns that begin with a vowel sound:

an actress, an American student

an uncle, an ugly uncle

CAREFUL:

There are a few words that start with the a silent H so the beginning sound comes from the first vowel(s). For example:

hour, honest

an hour / an honest person

There are also some words that start with the vowel U but begin with a consonant Y sound (like the word you). For example:

university, European

a university / a European university

Listen to the audio below.