Should we put an article before a nationality?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello everyone;

I am called Gautier and I would like to know if we can use an article before a nationaly and if so when.

Indeed we were taught in schools that we cannot use an article when talking about nationalities. Today we can hear people who say for example “I am a Congolese”; “She’s a Chinese”, “Wendy’s a French” or “Are you a cameroonian?”

Of course I am talking about using nationalities when using it as a single word. Not in sentences like in the following ones below.

  1. It’s a French dog.
  2. is she an American car?

Thanks for writing me back.

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2

That’s not what we usually say. We don’t use the article to talk about out nationality:

She’s French.
They’re Chinese.
We’re British.
David Yang is American.

So, it would be interested and who uses an article when talking about nationality.

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3

I thank you ever so much. One of my former pupils told me last year or two years ago that her teacher of english said that we use an article when talking about nationality so we need to say I’m a Congolese for example.

This pupil is in senior high school now.

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