Country names, nationalities and languages in Spanish - vocabulary and expressions
Spanish
Video
Podcast
Country names in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| España | Spain |
| Use "de" (of/from) followed by the country name when describing your origins. For example: "Soy de Francia." => "I am from France.". |
|
| Francia | France |
| Alemania | Germany |
| Italia | Italy |
| "Estados Unidos" is plural, so we use the article "los". For example: "Los Estados Unidos." => "The United States.". |
|
| Estados Unidos | United States |
| Reino Unido | United Kingdom |
| Irlanda | Ireland |
| Use the preposition "en" (in) to describe the location where you are. For example: "Vivo en Sudáfrica." => "I live in South Africa.". |
|
| Sudáfrica | South Africa |
In Spanish, country names are typically preceded by the definite article "el" (masculine) or "la" (feminine), depending on the gender of the country name.
For example:
"El Salvador." => "El Salvador" (masculine)
"La República Checa." => "The Czech Republic." (feminine).
Dialogue on the country names
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuál es tu país de origen? | What is your country of origin? |
| Soy de España. | I'm from Spain. |
| ¿Tú de dónde eres? | Where are you from? |
| Yo soy de Irlanda. | I'm from Ireland. |
| ¿Dónde vives? | Where do you live? |
| Vivo en Alemania. | I live in Germany. |
Nationalities in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Nationalities often function as adjectives. For example: "Español" can mean both the nationality and language. |
|
| Español | Spanish |
| Nationalities are gendered. For example: "Él es francés." => "He is French." "Ella es francesa." => "She is French.". |
|
| Francés | French |
| Alemán | German |
| Italiano | Italian |
| Estadounidense | North American |
| Británico | British |
| Irlandés | Irish |
| Sudafricano | South African |
Nationalities in Spanish are often formed by adding the suffix "-ano" for masculine and "-ana" for feminine to the country name.
For example:
"Mexicano." => "Mexican." (masculine)
"Italiana." => "Italian." (feminine).
Dialogue on the nationalities
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿De dónde eres? | Where are you from? |
| Soy español. Nací en España. | I'm Spanish. I was born in Spain. |
| ¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? | What is your nationality? |
| Use the verb "ser” to describe someone’s nationality. | |
| Yo soy italiana. | I'm Italian. |
| ¿De qué nacionalidad es tu amiga? | What nationality does your friend have? |
| Ella es sudafricana y francesa. | She is South African and French. |
Languages in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Language adjectives are often used to describe nationality. For example: "Ruso" can mean both the language and nationality. |
|
| Ruso | Russian |
| Chino | Chinese |
| Holandés | Dutch |
| Sueco | Swedish |
| Árabe | Arabic |
| Hebreo | Hebrew |
The names of languages in Spanish are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
For example:
"Estoy aprendiendo español y francés." => "I am learning Spanish and French.".
Dialogue on the languages
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué idiomas hablas, María? | What languages do you speak, Maria? |
| Hablo japonés y sueco. ¿Y tú, Daniel? | I speak Japanese and Swedish. And you, Daniel? |
| Yo hablo árabe y también ruso. | I speak Arabic and also Russian. |
| ¿Cuál es tu idioma favorito? | What is your favourite language? |
| Mi idioma favorito es el chino. ¿Y el tuyo? | My favourite language is Chinese. And yours? |
| El mío es el hebreo. | Mine is Hebrew. |
Continents in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| América del Norte | North America |
| América del Sur | South America |
| Europa | Europe |
| Asia | Asia |
| África | Africa |
| Antártida | Antarctica |
Usually, we don't use articles before the names of continents.
For example:
"Me gusta África." => "I like Africa.".
Dialogue on the continents
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué continente te gustaría visitar Maria? | Which continent would you like to visit Maria? |
| Me gustaría visitar Asia. | I would like to visit Asia. |
| A mí me gustaría ir a América del Sur. | I would like to go to South America. |
| Yo he vivido en América del Norte. | I have lived in North America. |
| Sería un sueño visitar Antártida. | It would be a dream to visit Antarctica. |
| Yo quiero vivir en Europa. | I want to live in Europe. |
Key takeaways
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