6.1 Indefinite Noun Phrases I
We can use indefinite noun phrases to refer to a type of people or things in general.
To form an indefinite noun phrase, we can simply say a noun without adding a number and a classifier.
我係老師嚟。
ngo5 hai6 lou5 si1 lai4.
I am a teacher.
The noun phrase 老師 lou5 si1 is an indefinite noun phrase. It only has the noun 老師 lou5 si1 and doesn’t have a number and a classifier. It refers to teachers, a type of occupation.
Another way to form an indefinite noun phrase is to add the number 一 jat1 (‘one’) and a classifier before a noun. This is similar to noun phrases with the indefinite article a or an in English (e.g., a teacher).
我係一個老師嚟。
ngo5 hai6 jat1 go3 lou5 si1 lai4.
I am a teacher.
The noun phrase 一個老師 jat1 go3 lou5 si1 is an indefinite noun phrase. It has the number 一 jat1 and the classifier 個 go1 before the noun 老師 lou5 si1. It refers to teachers, a type of occupation.
We can omit the number 一 jat1 if the indefinite noun phrase appears after a verb.
我係個老師嚟。
ngo5 hai6 go3 lou5 si1 lai4.
I am a teacher.
In Grammar and Vocabulary 2.6, we learned to form sentences with the sentence particle 嚟 lai4 and the verb 係 hai6. We can use an indefinite noun phrase as the subject complement.
Notice when the verb 係 hai6 is not added to a sentence, we usually use an indefinite noun phrase without a number and a classifier as the subject complement, instead of an indefinite noun phrase with the number 一 jat1 and a classifier.
✔️ 我老師嚟。
ngo5 lou5 si1 lai4.
I am a teacher.
❌ 我一個老師嚟。
ngo5 jat1 go3 lou5 si1 lai4.