"Eu não tenho barriga."

Translation: I do not have a pot belly.

[Scutigera]

Does this mean, "I have no paunch"? In other words, a flat belly, but still a belly (cause they are kind of vital)?

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paunch

[Danmoller]

Yes :)

[Libellule808]

Same as in English, where it has a double meaning. A belly can mean generally your stomach, but it can also mean a fat stomach. Same with gut.

[Wojtek948131]

Danmoller.
Why "I don't have belly" is not accepted?

[Danmoller]

It's a "countable" singular noun. Countable singular nouns always need an article or another determiner.

É um substantivo "contável" no singular. Substantivos contáveis no singular sempre precisam de um artigo ou outro determinante.

[Scutigera]

Countable singular nouns always need an article or another determiner.

Who knew that "no" was a determiner? =]

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/determiners

But also a "quantifier" and a "negation".

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quantifiers/no-none-and-none-of

Determiners are a tricky little thing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_determiners

Some used to consider them adjectives:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_determiners#Determiners_and_adjectives

These become somewhat important to know as these are one determiner of whether the descriptive comes before or after in Portuguese. Hence why cardinal & ordinal numbers are determiners so come before the nouns in PT (well, the exception – always an exception – being the nobles like kings... Dom João IV as an example). :)

http://www.polysyllabic.com/?q=navigating/wordcats/secondary/determiner

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Don't mind me. Just typing out loud... :)

[Gisemon777]

Is it correct "I don't have belly"?

[josephvitti]

No, in English you need an indefinite article for countable nouns (see Danmoller's post above) --> "I don't have A belly" (or else, e.g. "I have no belly").

[Crawz]

Any rationale or explanation one can offer as to why this sentence has no article?

[Danmoller]

Portuguese doesn't need it. It's an English rule to require articles for countable nouns in singular.

There is no rational explanation for why English demands it either. It's just "language rules".

[j.alan.c]

I'd like to report to DL that the translation "I don't have a belly" should be accepted, but there is/was no button allowing me to report it ...

[NeoMind1720]

But it interests me. Can you also use this phrase when you tryna say "i'm not fat" or just as your body part is missing?^^'

[Paulenrique]

Yes, it usually means "I'm not fat".

[Monimaboo]

For those students coming across barriga for the first time here, stomach is more acceptable than belly in Br.English.