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This is how most people would explain it:

  • I want to buy a new car. You want to buy some car. You don't know which one exactly, Toyota or BMW, which color, and so on.

  • The car parked near the baker's shop is red. Specific car. That one car.

  • Hey, Joe. You know, I bought a new car yesterday. I bought some car.

As I know, the third example is correct (as well as the 1st and 2nd ones), but it confuses me. When I buy a car, I buy the specific one. For example, it could have a small scratch on its door.

Why we use the indefinite article there?

john c. j.
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  • I bought a new car yesterday. The car is red. A=one. – Lambie Jun 06 '20 at 14:34
  • It's whether it's contextually specific (already mentioned, or demanded by logic). – Edwin Ashworth Jun 06 '20 at 14:39
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    You would only say "Hey, Joe, I bought the new car yesterday" if Joe already knew that you had had your eye on a particular car. – Kate Bunting Jun 06 '20 at 15:56
  • @KateBunting Yes, I know, thank you for pointing it out. The problem is that I don't understand the logic behind the 3rd example. I cannot distinguish it from the logic of the second one, and consequently make a lot of grammatical errors. – john c. j. Jun 06 '20 at 16:13
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    That's what I was trying to clarify. If Joe had not known that you were planning to buy a car, you say 'a car' because that is the first he has heard of it; it's an anonymous car to him. – Kate Bunting Jun 06 '20 at 16:52
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    Does this answer your question? Are there any simple rules for choosing the definite vs. indefinite (vs. none) article? – Jason Bassford Jun 06 '20 at 17:29
  • @JasonBassford Sorry, it doesn't. I like Ash's answer, but none of the answers provided there answers my question. That is, how to make the distinction between 2nd and 3rd case clear. – john c. j. Jun 06 '20 at 17:47
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    @johnc.j. The question is the same, and the answer is the same—as also pointed out in comments here. If Joe is unaware of the fact that you've bought a car, then the would be incoherent in that construction. Even if you were pointing at your new car, you wouldn't use the, you'd use this. You have to establish a specific reference before you can use the. That reference can follow in words immediately after, but that's not the case here. However, you could say this: "Hey, Joe. Look at *the* new car I bought yesterday," which matches the construction of the second sentence. – Jason Bassford Jun 06 '20 at 18:05

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