Grammar
Articles with jobs, nationalities, and roles
Mina says, I am an architect. Her colleagues say, We are architects. One small word changes when the role changes from one person to a group.
Use a or an with one job or role, and choose clear nationality, plural-group, and language patterns.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She is a European engineer. /ʃiː ɪz ə ˌjʊərəˈpiːən ˌendʒɪˈnɪə/
The short answer
Use a or an before one singular job or role. Put a nationality adjective before the role when needed: a Brazilian engineer or an American architect. Use a plural role without a or an for a group: Brazilian engineers.
Maya is an Indian artist.
Why it works: Artist is one singular role, and it begins with a vowel sound, so the full noun phrase begins with an.
6 more examples
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Sofia is a Brazilian engineer.
Engineer is one singular role. Brazilian describes the engineer, so the noun phrase begins with a.
Not this:Sofia and Davi are
Brazilian engineers. What changes: Engineers is plural, so a and an are not used before the group. -
He is an American architect.
American begins with a vowel sound, so an comes before the singular role phrase.
Not this:They are
American architects. What changes: Architects is plural, so the group does not take a or an. -
Rami is a European engineer.
European starts with a /j/ sound, like yes, so use a rather than an.
Not this:Rami
is European. What changes: European is a nationality adjective after be here, so there is no role noun and no article. -
Nora speaks Portuguese at work.
Portuguese names the language in this sentence, so it has no article.
Not this:Nora is
a Portuguese translator. What changes: Portuguese describes the singular role translator, which needs a. -
Jordan is a nurse.
Nurse is one singular role and begins with a consonant sound.
Not this:Jordan and Aisha
are nurses. What changes: Nurses is plural, so it does not need a or an. -
A Brazilian visitor asked for directions.
Brazilian describes the singular noun visitor, so the phrase begins with a.
Not this:
Brazilian visitorsasked for directions. What changes: Visitors is plural, so the group phrase has no a or an.
Read the full guide
First, find the job or role noun. If it names one person, choose a or an by the first sound of the word or phrase that follows. If it names more than one person, make the role plural and leave out a and an. Then check whether a nationality word describes the role, names a person, or names a language.
Name one job or role
When you say what one person does, use a singular role noun with a or an. A role can be a job, a course role, or a role in a group. Start by asking whether you mean one person.
My neighbor is a photographer.
Photographer names one person's role, so it needs a before it.
Which phrase names one role: a manager or managers?
Use a manager for one person. Use managers for more than one person.
Choose a or an by sound
Choose a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound. Listen to the first sound of the whole role phrase. The spelling of the first word can sometimes mislead you.
An engineer explained the plan.
Engineer begins with a vowel sound, so use an.
A European designer joined the meeting.
European begins with a /j/ sound, so use a.
Put a nationality adjective before the role
A nationality adjective can give more information about a person's role. It comes before the role noun. The article still belongs to the full singular noun phrase.
Our guide is a Kenyan teacher.
Kenyan describes teacher. Teacher is the singular role that makes a necessary.
Complete the phrase for one person: an American ___.
Add a singular role noun, such as an American architect or an American actor.
Use plural roles for groups
For more than one person, use a plural role noun. Do not put a or an before the plural phrase. A nationality adjective can still come before the role.
Canadian doctors work at the clinic.
Doctors is plural, so the phrase has no a or an. Canadian describes the group of doctors.
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Not this:
She is a Canadian doctors.Say: She is a Canadian doctor.
Use a with one singular role noun.
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Not this:
They are a Canadian doctors.Say: They are Canadian doctors.
Doctors is plural, so leave out a.
Separate nationality from a job description
After be, a nationality adjective can describe a person by itself. When you add a singular role, the role phrase needs a or an. These sentences answer different questions about the same person.
She is Brazilian.
Brazilian describes her nationality.
She is a Brazilian engineer.
Engineer is one singular role, so the phrase needs a.
Which sentence answers What does she do?
She is a Brazilian engineer answers with a job or role. She is Brazilian gives nationality information only.
Keep language names separate
Some words can describe a nationality and also name a language. The grammar depends on the meaning. Use a or an with a singular role noun, but do not add a or an when the word names a language.
I speak French with my cousin.
French names a language here, so it has no article.
My cousin is a French musician.
French describes musician. Musician is one singular role, so the phrase begins with a.
Before you go
Remember this
Name one job or role with a or an. Choose the article by the first sound: an American architect but a European engineer. Add a nationality adjective before the role when it helps. For a plural group, use the plural role without a or an. Keep language names separate: speak Portuguese, not a Portuguese.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Articles with jobs, nationalities, and roles"
Do jobs always need a or an?
Use a or an when you name one singular job or role, such as I am a teacher or She is an artist. Do not use a or an with a plural role, such as They are teachers.
Sofia is a Brazilian engineer.
How do I choose between a and an before a nationality word?
Choose by the first sound of the nationality word. Say an Italian doctor because Italian begins with a vowel sound. Say a European doctor because European begins with the /j/ sound at the start of yes.
Sofia and Davi are Brazilian engineers.
Why can I say a Brazilian engineer but Brazilian engineers?
Engineer is singular in a Brazilian engineer, so the phrase needs a. Engineers is plural in Brazilian engineers, so the group phrase has no a or an.
He is an American architect.
Can a nationality word stand alone after be?
Yes. You can say He is Mexican or They are Korean when you give nationality information. Add a singular role with a or an when you say what someone does: He is a Mexican chef.
They are American architects.
Do language names use a or an?
Usually no. Say We study Arabic or She speaks Japanese. A language name is different from a singular role phrase such as an Arabic teacher.
Rami is a European engineer.