play piano VS. play the piano

[hirashin]

Dear native English speakers,

I've often heard Americans say "I play piano." without "the".
Do most American people usually say like that?

Thanks in advance.
Hirashin

 

[diligentcircle]

I'd say both equally. Omitting the "the" is just a shortened way of saying it. I don't know if it's proper, but it's common.

 

[johnnyG]

This looks like a real rabbit hole (meaning we could go round and round, and never reach any good conclusion).

Try this discussion: articles - Why should we say "play the piano" instead of "play a piano"? - English Language Learners Stack Exchange

I think this question is a box better left unopened.

 

[diligentcircle]

That's a discussion about which article to use, not whether or not an article has to be used at all. Omitting it entirely is equivalent to using a definite article.

 

[mdchachi]

Dear native English speakers,

I've often heard Americans say "I play piano." without "the".
Do most American people usually say like that?

Yes, both are fine but I think without "the" is probably more common. Plus it is a better pattern to teach your students because you can't use "the" in other situations like:

I play video games.
I play tennis.

 

[diligentcircle]

Both of those are formulated that way for very specific reason: "video games" is plural, and "Tennis" is a proper noun. So I can't say I agree with your reasoning. There are instances where omitting "the" in a situation like this doesn't work very well, like the word "flute". I'd say using "the" is probably the more conservative version, it's just that not using it is fine too.

 

[mdchachi]

I don't think there's a problem with saying "I play flute."