Can phrase "such as it is" be used for a person?

Question

I understand "such as it is" means one does not have particular good thing to say about it or is being humble. I am wondering if I can use it for a person to mean the same thing. Here are examples.

I am a senator, such as I am.
I, such as I am, am a senator.
I am a senator, such as it is.
I, such as it is, am a senator.

Could you pick correct one, if any?
In these examples, I am trying to mean "Although I may not appear that way or I may not have quality to be a senator, I am the senator." Now, whether I really think that is not the point, but I am just trying to be humble.
Thank you in advance.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi Pinfudoradora;

Welcome to the Forums!

"Such as I am" is a bit self-deprecating, but can be softened.
How about these?

I am your senator, a humble servant of the electorate.
(Such as I am, ) I am your senator, a humble servant of the people.
(Such as I am, ) I am your senator, a humble servant of all my constituents

CalifJim · Answer

PinfudoradoraI am a senator, such as I am.I, such as I am, am a senator.I am a senator, such as it is.I, such as it is, am a senator.Could you pick correct one, if any?

I don't find any of them very idiomatic. In my experience the idiom is fixed as "such as it is" and can't easily be altered as to person, so "such as you are" and "such as I am" do not carry the idiomatic meaning that you're looking for. Also, it applies mostly to how adequate an offer a person makes more than to the person himself.

See these definitions and examples.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/british/such-as-it-is
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/such+as+it+is
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/such+as+it+is

CJ

Pinfudoradora · Answer

Thanks for the response!
Self-deprecation is big part of Japanese language, but it might come off weird for different culture.

Pinfudoradora · Answer

Yeah my Japanese/English dictionary has phrase "such as I am" and just sounded weird to me.

Can phrase "such as it is" be used for a person?

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