# indefinite article + nationality/profession



## Encolpius

I think this is a rather complicated grammar phenomenon and it is easy to get confused and now I hope all languages will be at the same place to be compared. You can choose any nationality and profession. Thanks a lot. 

Hungarian: 
1/ nationality = Magyar vagyok. (no indefinite article)
2/ profession = Postás vagyok. (no indefinite article)

English
1/ I am English. I am *an* Englishman. 
2/ I am *a* postman. (indefinite article)

Czech: 
1/ Jsem Čech/Češka. (no article)
2/ Jsem listonoš. (no article)


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## Whodunit

In German:

Ich bin Deutscher. (I'm German)
Ich bin Postbote. (I'm a postman/mailman)

no article needed


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## Outsider

Portuguese:

Sou português/portuguesa. (no article)
Sou carteiro/carteira. (no article --> _feminine variant included, although I've never seen a mailwoman in Portugal!_)


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## madshov

It is common not to include an indefinite article in Danish:
Jeg er dansker - I'm Danish
Jeg er postbud - I'm a postman.


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## Sionees

Welsh: No Indefinite Article for ANY expression, so,

_Cymro dw i_ - I'm a Welshman
_Dw i'n Gymro_ - I'm a Welshman (Colloquial, NWW speech)
_Yr wyf yn Gymro_ - I'm a Welshman (Highest Literary register)

_Athrawes dw i - _I'm a female teacher
_Dw i'n athrawes_ - I'm a female teacher
_Yr wyf yn athrawes_ - I'm a female teacher


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## Sionees

oops - you wanted 'postman' ?

_Postmon dw i_  but 
_Dw_ _i_'_n bostmon_
_Yr wyf yn bostmon_

_Da bo_


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## EmotionalOne

Spanish:
1/ Soy peruano. (No article) - I'm Peruvian
2/ Soy un policia. (article) - I'm a police(wo)man


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## jmx

EmotionalOne said:


> Spanish:
> 1/ Soy peruano. (No article) - I'm Peruvian
> 2/ Soy un policia. (article) - I'm a police(wo)man


In Spain it's more common "soy policía" (no article).


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## Kangy

jmartins said:


> In Spain it's more common "soy policía" (no article).


So it is in Argentina, and I'm sure in most of the Spanish-speaking world as well.


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## kusurija

In Lithuanian:
Esu Lietuvis. (no article) (In fact I'm Czech)
Esu laiškanešys. (no article)
Lithuanian doesn't use articles.


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## Juri

Io sono italiano. (But in the song of Toto Cotugno : L'italiano vero.)
Non sono *un* postino.


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## Encolpius

Juri said:


> Io sono italiano. (But in the song of Toto Cotugno : L'italiano vero.)
> Non sono *un* postino.


 
and the non-negative sentence?

Sono *un* postino. [?]


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## Juri

Encolpius said:


> and the non-negative sentence?
> 
> Sono *un* postino. [?]


Of course: right!


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## apmoy70

Greek doesn't need indefinite article either:

1/ *«Είμαι Έλληνας»* [ˈime ˈelinas] --> _I'm Greek (masc.)_
2/ *«Είμαι ταχυδρόμος»* [ˈime taçiˈðromos] --> _I'm postman (masc.)_


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## Nawaq

_Je suis français(e)_ (I am French)
_Je suis médecin_ (I am a doctor)

no article...


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## Dymn

_Sóc català
Sóc carter
_
No article


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## Encolpius

Thanks. So, article is needed only in *English and Italian*. Interesting only Italian in Romance languages.


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## Messquito

Chinese: No indefinite article for both
我是台灣人。I am Taiwanese.
我是學生。 I am a student.

It's hard to say if Chinese has "indefinite articles" at all, but we do have the number *1* and quantifiers, the combination of which equals "*a*" in English. In this case 一個=a, and no 一個 is needed, and would sound quite weird in most cases.

But if a *long modifier* (e.g. an adjective clause) precedes the noun, then 一個 can be naturally there:
我是一個怎麼睡都睡不飽的學生。I am a student who can never get enough sleep.
我是一個不怎麼愛國的台灣人。 I am a Taiwanese who is not so patriotic.
Deleting 一個 would sometimes sounds like you are assuming all students can't get enough sleep and all Taiwanese are not so patriotic, have it not been for proper contexts. The 一個(a/one) here indicates that you are that "one" specific case.
1. 我是一個喜歡吃泡菜的韓國人。I am a Korean who likes to eat Kimchi. (restrictive)
2. 我是喜歡吃泡菜的韓國人。I am a Korean, who likes to eat Kimchi>I am a Korean, and a Korean likes to eat Kimchi. (non-restrictive)
Of course you can use 2. to mean 1. Most people don't really notice it now.


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## ger4

German: With further additions like an adjective or an added relative clause, the indefinite article is used (while no article is used in other cases -> #2). I'm not sure but it seems that this rule also applies in English with regard to nationalities:

(1) _Sie ist Koreanerin. She is Korean.
Sie ist eine junge Koreanerin. She is a young Korean.
Sie ist eine Koreanerin, die in Deutschland wohnt. She is a Korean who lives in Germany._

(2) _Sie ist Studentin. She is a student.
Sie ist eine junge Studentin. She is a young student.
Sie ist eine Studentin, die in Korea wohnt. She is a student who lives in Korea._


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## Xavier61

Encolpius said:


> Thanks. So, article is needed only in *English and Italian*. Interesting only Italian in Romance languages.


Hmmm. Sono Italiano. Sono postino.


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## Gavril

In English, articles can sometimes be omitted when you are talking about a person's title:

_He is CEO of the company _[= _*the* CEO_]

Thus, if you said, _He is postman_, it sounds as though you are presenting "postman" as an official job title rather than simply an occupation.

It is unusual to refer to "postman" in this way, but it would make sense if the context has to do with the structure of the postal company/organization. For example,

_He was finally promoted to postman after working for seven years as the lunch delivery boy._


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## Nino83

Encolpius said:


> So, article is needed only in *English and Italian*. Interesting only Italian in Romance languages.





Xavier61 said:


> Hmmm. Sono Italiano. Sono postino.


I agree with Xavier61. The article is not necessary in Italian.
Marco è italiano = Mark is Italian
Marco è professore = Mark is a professor
Marco *fa* il professore (fare = to do, to make)

If the profession is modified by an adjective, the indefinite article is mandatory.
Marco è un professore molto competente = Mark is a very good teacher

see here for a comparison between Italian and English


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## KalAlbè

*Haitian Creole:*
1. Mwen se ayisyen (no article) = I am Haitian.
2. Mwen se yon pwofesè (article) = I am a teacher/professor (article)


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## Encolpius

Nino83 said:


> I agree with Xavier61. The article is not necessary in Italian.
> Marco è professore = Mark is a professor..



Maybe I should ask it in the Italian forum, but is there any difference between Sono postino vs. Sono un postino.?


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## Nino83

Encolpius said:


> Sono postino vs. Sono un postino.?


I don't know if there is really any difference. The most common questions and answers are: _Cosa fai? Che mestiere fai? Faccio il postino._
If you use the verb _essere_ (to be), the indefinite article is more likely to be present when the profession is modified by an adjective.
You can always ask in the Italian forum for more informations and opinions.


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