Zero Article for Professions

The "zero article" is the classification for phantom articles, when nouns are used with no article at all.

A common mistake when learning a foreign language is directly translating from language to language. Oftentimes, there are words, expressions, and sentences that can’t be translated word for word. A common example of this concept in French is when one talks about occupations or professions.

Take a look at these examples and try to point out the grammatical difference between French and English sentences that talk about occupations.

When talking about occupations or professions, notice how no indefinite article (a/an = un/une/des) is used in the sentence.

Notes:

• An exception to this rule is when there are adjectives used in the sentence to describe the person in their professional role.

            Je suis un écrivain prudent.                I am a careful writer.

            Tu es un bon pilote.                            You are a good pilot.

            Elle est une cuisinièreformidable.     She is a formidable chef.

• A second exception is when you use the neutral expression C’est to express “It is” or “This is”.

            C’est un pompier qui sauve les personnes d’un feu. 

            It is a firefighter who saves people from a fire.

• Remember that the profession may change spelling depending on if one is talking about a male or female.

A common mistake when learning a foreign language is directly translating from language to language. Oftentimes, there are words, expressions, and sentences that can’t be translated word for word. A common example of this concept in French is when one talks about occupations or professions. The "zero article" is the classification for phantom articles, when nouns are used with no article at all.