Company introductions: using 'a', 'an', and 'the'

A1
90 min
Premium
1

Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.

  1. What is a good job for you?
  2. What is a famous company from your country?
  3. What does a company like Apple or Google sell?
2

Talking About Work

Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.

3

Listen to the dialogue again and answer the questions.

01What is Marco's job?
Sample answerHe is an engineer.
02Where is Marco's company based?
Sample answerIt is based in Rome.
03Does Marco's company make a product?
Sample answerNo, it provides a service.
04What does Emma do?
Sample answerShe is a teacher.
4

Key vocabulary

Vocabulary
Learn these phrases to talk about a company.
Examples
work for — to be an employee of a company
This is a very common phrase. For example: 'I work for a big company.'
based in — the main office is in a specific city or country
Use this to talk about location. For example: 'Our company is based in New York.'
make a product — to create something to sell
Use this for physical things. For example: 'They make cars.' or 'We make furniture.'
provide a service — to do a job for customers, not sell a physical thing
Use this for companies that help people. For example: 'The bank provides a service to customers.'
a team of — a group of people who work together
Use this to talk about the number of people. For example: 'I work in a team of five people.'
5

Vocabulary for work

Match the words with their meanings.

Drag or click to match
Definitions
6

Grammar: Articles: a, an, the

Grammar
We use 'a', 'an', and 'the' before nouns, like 'company' or 'customer'. Use 'a' or 'an' when you talk about one thing for the first time. Use 'the' when you talk about a specific thing that we already know.
Examples
I work for a company in Paris.
Use 'a' for one general thing. It is not a specific company.
My company has an office in the city center.
Use 'an' because the next word, 'office', starts with a vowel sound.
The company is very big.
Use 'the' because we are talking about the specific company from the first sentence.
Key points
  • Use 'a' before words with a consonant sound (a big company).
  • Use 'an' before words with a vowel sound (an important customer).
  • Use 'the' for specific things (the manager of my team).
7

Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.

Word bank
01I for a big company in London.
02Our company is in New York, but we have offices in Paris.
03We make a new every year. This year it is a new phone.
04We don't sell things. We provide a like cleaning or web design.
05I work in a small of five people.
8

About my company

Read the text about Maria's company.

Fill in each blank with the correct word or phrase from the word bank.

Word bank
Hello, my name is Maria. I for a company called 'Green Planet'. We are in London. We don't . We for gardens. We have of ten people. We help our customers have beautiful gardens.
9

Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.

  1. What is a good company to work for in your country? Does it make a product or provide a service?
  2. Is it better for a company to make a product or provide a service? Why?
  3. What makes a company a good company? A good product? A happy team?