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You know, a "berliner" is a small, jelly filled pastry...
This topic comes up all the time in my circle of Germans and various Auslaender (foreigners). In normal spoken Deutsch you don't use an article when identifying your nationality, profession, sexuality, etc., you just say "ich bin Kontrabassist" for example. But as far as I gather, it isn't really grammatically wrong to add the article and say "ich bin ein Berliner", just awkward. The best we can come up with is that JFK's staff actually knew all about this and planned it brilliantly. If he had said "I am a Berliner" properly, it might have sounded arrogant or something. By making the mistake and giving a silly double meaning, he endeared himself more to the Germans with his seemingly foolish effort than he ever would have by speaking properly! This is just my take on the issue.You know, a "berliner" is a small, jelly filled pastry...

This topic comes up all the time in my circle of Germans and various Auslaender (foreigners). In normal spoken Deutsch you don't use an article when identifying your nationality, profession, sexuality, etc., you just say "ich bin Kontrabassist" for example. But as far as I gather, it isn't really grammatically wrong to add the article and say "ich bin ein Berliner", just awkward. The best we can come up with is that JFK's staff actually knew all about this and planned it brilliantly. If he had said "I am a Berliner" properly, it might have sounded arrogant or something. By making the mistake and giving a silly double meaning, he endeared himself more to the Germans with his seemingly foolish effort than he ever would have by speaking properly! This is just my take on the issue.
A tip though; There is also a baked good called an "Amerikaner". So, when travelling in Germany, if asked "woher kommen Sie?" (where are you from?) You don't want to say "ich bin ein Amerikaner", or maybe you do![]()