[Grammar] I see the cat and the dog in the picture.

[Son Ho]

In the conversation between A and B. They are talking about a picture on the wall. In the picture, there is a dog and a cat. Could you please explain to me why we can't use the in front of cat and dog instead of a? I think both of the speaker and the listener at the beginning are thinking about the cat and the dog in the picture, then we must use the for a definite noun.

A: What do you see in the picture?
B: I see a cat and a dog in the picture.
or
B: I see the cat and the dog in the picture.

 

[teechar]

[STRIKE]In the conversation between[/STRIKE] A and B [STRIKE]. They[/STRIKE] are talking about a picture on the wall. In the picture, there is a dog and a cat. Could you please explain to me why we can't use the in front of cat and dog instead of a? I think both [STRIKE]of[/STRIKE] the speaker and the listener at the beginning are thinking about the cat and the dog in the picture, [STRIKE]then[/STRIKE] so we must use the for [STRIKE]a definite[/STRIKE] for those specific nouns.

A: What do you see in the picture?
B: I see a cat and a dog in the picture.
or
B: I see the cat and the dog in the picture.

It all depends. Without further context, the indefinite article is correct. This is because "cat" and "dog" are mentioned for the first time in that conversation. However, consider the following conversation:

A: You're going to see a few pictures and in some of them there will be a dog and a cat, but they will be almost cryptic outlines without any colours - kind of hard to discern. See if you can spot them.
B: OK, I'll try.
A: Here's the first. What do you see in the picture?
B: I see the cat and the dog in the picture.