Pidgin has one indefinite article: “one.”
Use the indefinite article when introducing something for the first time
The indefinite article “one,” is mostly use when introducing something for the first time. It is not used in any other contexts. Here are some examples to demonstrate its use:
- I see one fine car for espress. (I saw a beautiful car on the highway)
- E get one place wey elders dey meet. (There is a place where elders meet)
- Dangote build one new refinery for Lagos. (Dangote built a new refinery in Lagos.)
There are a lot of other circumstances where the indefinite article is used in pidgin but not in English:
- Describing a job: I be engineer. (I am an engineer)
- Quantifying: Who get biro? (Who has a pen)
The word “the” is also used as a demonstrative pronoun to emphasize on the quality of a noun. See: Demonstrative Pronouns.