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For reference, see Nationalities.
Plurals and Nationalities
Why do we say
but we say
The Russians are here.*
The Koreans are here.
The Americans are here
The Italians are here.
The New Zealanders are here
The Pakistanis are here. | The Chinese are here.*
The Japanese are here.
The British are here.
The Swiss are here.
The French are here.
The Portuguese are here.
|
It's mostly phonetic. That is, it depends on the final sound of the word.
Words ending in
-an, -ian, -er, -i
require an ?s in the plural
| Words ending in
-ese, -ish, -iss, -ch
do not change
|
Languages (no article)
Russian is easy.
Korean is easy.
Italian is easy.
| Chinese is easy.
Japanese is easy.
French is easy.
|
Generalizations**
Russians are friendly
Koreans are friendly.
New Zealanders are friendly.
| The Chinese are friendly.
Chinese people are friendly.
The Japanese are friendly.
Japanese people are friendly.
The French are friendly.
Frenchmen are friendly.
|
*If you are talking about a
specific group (of Russians, etc.), the article
the must be used.
Most of the Italians (in this class) are female.
Most of the Japanese (in the restaurant) are from Kyoto.
**If you are talking generally,
no article or preposition is needed.
With s
Most Americans speak English.
Not: Most of Americans
No s Most Vietnamese live in Asia.
Not: Most of Vietnamese
See also: Grammar: Most/Almost
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