ich bin Amerikaner
To say "I am american" in German, use ich bin Amerikaner.
This phrase is used to identify one's nationality as being from the United States.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Bavarian dialect, an informal way to express this is Servus, i bin der Mike. I bin Amerikaner.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes its ending to reflect the gender of the speaker: use Amerikaner for a male and Amerikanerin for a female. Additionally, when stating one's nationality, the indefinite article (a/an) is typically omitted.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly include the article ein (a/an) when stating their nationality. However, it is more natural in German to omit it.
Did you know?
- In German, the word Amerikaner refers to a type of sweet yeast bread traditionally leavened with ammonium bicarbonate.
- The suffix '-er' in Amerikaner is a common way in German to turn a location or concept into a person or profession.
Examples in context
- Ich bin Amerikanerin.I am American.This example is useful for showing the female form of ich bin Amerikaner.Tatoeba #1200099 by Vortarulo, translation #461975 by tamsanh
- Hey, ich bin Sarah. Ich bin Amerikanerin.Hey, I'm Sarah. I am American.
- Ich bin Amerikaner und lebe in Berlin.I am American and live in Berlin.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are meeting for the first time at a party.
- MaximilianHallo, ich bin Maximilian. Woher kommst du?Hello, I am Maximilian. Where are you from?
- SarahHi, ich bin Sarah. Ich komme aus den USA.Hi, I am Sarah. I come from the USA.
- MaximilianWirklich? Bist du Amerikanerin?Really? Are you American?
- SarahJa, ich bin Amerikanerin.Yes, I am American.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Amerikaner, bin, ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
