@Craig_C Friend, could you explain why in this sentence. I got it from a webste merriam, but what I can't undertsand is why "the" is omitted before Tourists ,could you explain please?

"Tourists roamed the streets"

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Craig_C

3 March

English (US)

@Anth22 Sometimes "the" is omitted when something is said in a general sense.

For example, tourists roamed the streets.

But if you are talking about specific tourists:

The tourists from France used taxis.

Does that help?

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C you say, when it's general, but my sentence is in past. I only knew it when it is in present and it's general, but when it's in past it confuses me. could you tell me a explanation more please to understand it better please? You say it's in general, but Tourists roamed,..... how can I know who were the tourists who roamed? all this confuses me.

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C when it's in general, it can be used with all times will, would, can, could, may, and so on? or just in simple past?

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Craig_C

3 March

English (US)

@Anth22 You have to know the context to know whether it's general or specific.

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Craig_C

3 March

English (US)

@Anth22 You can use for all tenses.

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C but explain please , how can't I confuse ?

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@Anth22

Doctors cured his disease. The heart doctor fixed his heart. The kidney doctor fixed his kidneys.

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C but could you explain to learn and write this way only, Doctors cured his disease. When one writes these types of sentences without "the" means the one who wrote it only knows it were the doctors in specific and it isn't said and nobody else knows, and so tt is shown as if it were general?

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C I want you to help me learn it this way of writing Doctors cured his disease to avoid confusing please?

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Craig_C

3 March

English (US)

@Anth22

Doctors cured his disease (the writer is making a general statement). . The heart doctor (now the writer is making a specific statement) fixed his heart. The kidney doctor fixed his kidneys.

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C But it can be used with any noun? when the writer is making a general statement as you are saying, it means the writer only knows it even if it has been in specific, but he writes like this so nobody knows who was or when it happened and the writer only knows it? is it like this?

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C for example : there is another like this: Warning/alarm bells went off. Firefighters put the fire out. Here means the writer's sentences have happened and he just knows it and he writes like this to show that nobody must know it? but the writer already knew it when it happened or who was, right?

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Anth22

3 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C if I say, Firefighters put the fire out. significa los bomberos apagaron el incendio. pero se refiere a solo algunos bomberos o todos los bomberos de donde?

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Craig_C

3 March

English (US)

@Anth22 Todos los bomberos

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Anth22

4 March

Spanish (Spain)

@Craig_C pero se refiere a todos los de mi ciudad o todos del mundo o de que lugar? se usa solo cuando yo se cuando y quienes son y donde pero nadie más sabe y poreso se escribe en general como si fuera present perfect que no se sabe la hora sinoke solo tiene un resultado en el presente,, es algo parecido a eso?

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What is the difference between We rang the doorbell twice, but no one came to answer the door. and We rang the doorbell twice, but no one came to open the door. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.

They are the same.

@Anth22 "the bell rang" is much more common than the others. They mean the same thing.

@Anth22 Sometimes "the" is omitted when something is said in a general sense.For example, tourists roamed the streets.But if you are talking about specific tourists:The tourists from France used taxis.Does that help?

@Anth22 You have to know the context to know whether it's general or specific.

@Anth22 You can use for all tenses.

@Anth22Doctors cured his disease. The heart doctor fixed his heart. The kidney doctor fixed his kidneys.

@Anth22Doctors cured his disease (the writer is making a general statement). . The heart doctor (now the writer is making a specific statement) fixed his heart. The kidney doctor fixed his kidneys.

@Anth22 Todos los bomberos

What is the difference between We rang the doorbell twice, but no one came to answer the door.
and We rang the doorbell twice, but no one came to open the door. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.

@Anth22 Sometimes "the" is omitted when something is said in a general sense.

For example, tourists roamed the streets.

But if you are talking about specific tourists:

The tourists from France used taxis.

Does that help?

@Anth22

Doctors cured his disease. The heart doctor fixed his heart. The kidney doctor fixed his kidneys.

@Anth22

Doctors cured his disease (the writer is making a general statement). . The heart doctor (now the writer is making a specific statement) fixed his heart. The kidney doctor fixed his kidneys.