With or without indefinite article ??

Alfred S.C1Kwiziq community member

With or without indefinite article ??

Why should I say "Je suis UN oncle" instead of "Je suis oncle"? I shall say "Il est président / prof / boulanger", always omitting the indefinite article. Is it different for family relations? Thanks in advance for any help.

Asked 3 years ago
CélineKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour Alfred,

When talking about your profession with the verb 'être', there is no indefinite article in French.

Il est avocat he is a lawyer

Elles sont peintres they are painters 

See link here: dont-use-indefinite-articles-with-professions

Attention: C'est + [indefinite article] + profession

C'est un boulanger he is a baker

C'est une infirmière she is a nurse 

See link on the French indefinite article 

When talking about family realtions, you don't say "je suis oncle/tante/cousin etc" BUT "je suis un oncle / une tante...". As for "frère/soeur", you would only tend to use the indefinite article to say that you have a brother/sister: "j'ai un frère / une soeur".

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Manpreet K.A1Kwiziq community member

What about 'étudiant'? Do we omit Un before 'étudiant' too?

CélineKwiziq team member

Bonjour Manpreet,

The same applies as above with 'étudiant':

Il est étudiant = he is a student

Elles sont étudiantes they are students 

C'est un/une étudiant(e) = he/she is a student

Bonne journée !

With or without indefinite article ??

Why should I say "Je suis UN oncle" instead of "Je suis oncle"? I shall say "Il est président / prof / boulanger", always omitting the indefinite article. Is it different for family relations? Thanks in advance for any help.

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