The English language uses articles for a number of reasons, one of which is to show if we are talking about things that are known both to the speaker and to the listener, in which case we call them 'definite'. If they are not known to both of them, we are talking about the 'indefinite' article.
Articles are such a pain because of all those rules we have to memorise. Without them we don't know when to use which, or whether not to use them at all.
Are they important?
Yes, but don't worry if you sometimes use them incorrectly, or forget to use them in the first place, because:
- knowing articles takes a lot of practice, even for your teachers,
- the correct use of articles is one of the most difficult points in English grammar,
- if you don't use them correctly, the listener will still be able to understand you.
For example:
- Please, can you give me pencil?
- My mother is doctor.
- I play the football.
