Where Are You From? 51 Citizenships In Spanish And Some Tips For Speaking About Them

In today’s world, it’s practically difficult to not meet somebody of a various citizenship.

And if we trace back our very own roots, we all seem to have a bit of a mix within us!

But while we could not think of our very own genetics on a daily basis, when learning another language, it is very important to understand exactly how to speak about where we live, where we come from and who we are.

And also, it’s always interesting to learn more about the people we talk with! It’s just how we develop partnerships.

And also odds are if you’re discovering Spanish, you’ve already met some native audio speakers from different parts of the world!

So this post is all about nationalities in Spanish.

We’ll cover the grammar regulations you need to follow, exactly how to state 51 different races and also even exactly how to speak about being mixed-race.

As a Venezuelan-American girl, learning just how to tell people that my father’s from South America and my mama’s from the UNITED STATE in Spanish hasn’t constantly been the easiest task.

Yet discovering just how to damage that barrier has not just permitted me to much better define myself to other individuals in Spanish, yet to additionally reconnect with my society and embrace my part-Latina, part-American blood.

And also I make certain you’ll locate the motivation to dive deep right into your family heritage after reading this post, as well!

What You Need to Know About Nationalities in Spanish

Given that every language is different, you can’t just assume that you discuss nationalities in Spanish the very same you would certainly in English.

Points like capitalization, gender as well as other grammar-related subtleties use in specific circumstances.

Let’s have a look at six various rules you require to keep in mind when talking about races in Spanish.

Nationalities can be used as adjectives in Spanish.

Actually, we do the same in English.

Races are commonly used to describe individuals. For instance, in the sentence “I am American,” the citizenship American is being made use of as an adjective to explain me.

In Spanish, this would certainly seem something like:

Mi abuelo es mexicano. (My grandfather is Mexican.)

Yo soy estadounidense. (I am American.)

Nationalities must match the gender in Spanish.

When made use of as adjectives, races adhere to the same guidelines as other adjectives– they have to match the sex of the person or item being discussed.

And also the factor I state “or things” is due to the fact that citizenships can also be utilized to explain where specific things originate from.

For example:

El carro es alemán. (The car is German.)

Me gusta la comida china. (I like Chinese food.)

As for people, if we’re talking about mi abuelo (my grandfather) again, we know that he’s a male. So the nationality (Mexican) has to also be male.

Mi abuelo es mexicano. (My grandfather is Mexican.)

But if we’re talking about mi abuela (my grandmother), the nationality has to be female.

Mi abuela es mexicana. (My grandmother is Mexican.)

Make nationalities plural when describing multiple people.

Just like various other adjectives, citizenships should be made plural when they’re made use of to explain greater than a single person or object.

Let’s claim I have an Italian pal who’s a young boy. Given that we’re talking about a particular male person, the nationality will additionally be singular as well as male.

Mi amigo es italiano. (My friend is Italian.)

But if we’re talking about my friend and his brothers, the nationality will be plural and male.

Mis amigos son italianos. (My friends are Italian.)

And of course, the same applies for females. La chica es china (the girl is Chinese) becomes las chicas son chinas (the girls are Chinese).

Some nationalities are gender-neutral.

You’ll soon notice that certain nationalities (like costarricense — Costa Rican) end in an -e.

So what do we do about nationalities that don’t end in -o or -a?

Well, you can think of these nationalities as being gender-neutral.

In other words, you don’t have to change the -o to an -a to match the gender! Instead, it already matches, regardless of the gender of the noun.

For example:

El chico es costarricense. (The boy is Costa Rican.)

La chica es costarricense. (The girl is Costa Rican.)

Both are correct, even though I didn’t have to change the gender of the word “Costa Rican!”

Ser de… means “to be from…”

If having to change the sex of nationalities seems a little bit also progressed for you, I have some great information– you do not need to!

You can still inform individuals where you’re from (and also ask where they’re from) without fretting about gender, and it’s very simple.

Just don’t use your nationality as an adjective!

The simple sentence pattern ser de… means “to be from.”

So by conjugating the verb ser (to be) and then saying the name of the country, you can easily tell someone that you’re from a specific place.

For example:

(Yo) soy de Estados Unidos. (I’m from America.)

(Ella) es de China. (She is from China.)

Names of countries are capitalized, but nationalities aren’t.

Right here’s something brand-new– unlike in English, we don’t capitalize the initial letter of races in Spanish. You might’ve already discovered this in the instances I used over!

To refresh your memory, let’s have a look at 2 even more:

Yo soy estadounidense. (I am American.)

El chico es italiano. (The boy is Italian.)

But when we’re talking about specific countries—like when we use the pattern ser de…—we capitalize the first letter.

Yo soy de Estados Unidos. (I’m from America.)

El chico es de Italia. (The boy is from Italy.)

Since you know how correctly talk (and compose) regarding races in Spanish, allow’s discover 51 of them!

Not only will learning nationalities in Spanish boost your conversational abilities as well as include in your vocabulary, yet it’ll additionally allow you to understand more Spanish media.

The Most Effective Way to Remember Nationalities in Spanish

In today’s modern world, we meet people from various areas frequently. But we likewise pay attention to globally songs, see worldwide stars on tv as well as see them on the news! (Especially as language students).

So if you wish to really master talking about various nationalities in Spanish, the most effective means to do so is by immersing on your own in the language so you can hear them be discussed by native audio speakers in authentic atmospheres.

Useful Words and Phrases for Talking About Nationalities in Spanish

When talking about nationalities, understanding some appropriate words and phrases will certainly can be found in helpful. Be sure to grasp these to make your conversations flow much smoother!

La nacionalidad (the nationality)

¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from; informal)

¿De dónde es usted? (Where are you from; formal)

Ser de… (To be from…)

¿De qué país eres? (Which country are you from?)

¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? (What’s your nationality?)

20 Nationalities of Spanish-speaking Countries

Given that you’ll likely be speaking to individuals from Spanish-speaking countries, recognizing exactly how to claim their nationality will certainly come in handy.

Allow’s take a look at 20 different nationalities that come from Spanish-speaking nations in Europe as well as Latin America!

Bear in mind, when used as adjectives, every one of these nationalities have to match the gender of the pronoun (except for those that end in -e).

For simplicity’s sake, I’ll introduce each nationality in its masculine form. But if you’re talking about a female person or object, remember to change the -o to -a!

Mexicano (Mexican)

Cubano (Cuban)

Argentino (Argentinean)

Boliviano (Bolivian)

Hondureño (Honduran)

Nicaragüense (Nicaraguan)

Español (Spanish/Spaniard)

Chileno (Chilean)

Colombiano (Colombian)

Venezolano (Venezuelan)

Ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian)

Salvadoreño (Salvadoran)

Guatemalteco (Guatemalan)

Haitiano (Haitian)

Panameño (Panamanian)

Peruano (Peruvian)

Beliceño (Belizean)

Dominicano (Dominican)

Paraguayo (Paraguayan)

Uruguayo (Uruguayan)

31 Nationalities of Non-Spanish Speaking Countries

Obviously, you need to know exactly how to speak about your citizenship even if you aren’t from a Spanish-speaking country!

As well as maybe you just fulfilled a proficient Spanish speaker or a fellow language student that’s from a nation that also does not talk Spanish as an official language.

Or, you want to talk about a renowned star like Emma Watson (that’s from France)!

The possibilities are limitless, so let’s delve into 31 citizenships from all over the world and also their Spanish equivalents!

Norteamericano (North American)

Estadounidense (American, as in someone from the United States)

Canadiense (Canadian)

Italiano (Italian)

Alemán (German; masculine) or Alemana (feminine)

Japonés (Japanese; masculine) or Japonesa (feminine)

Francés (French; masculine) or Francesa (feminine)

Tailandés (Thai; masculine) or Tailandesa (feminine)

Brasileño (Brazilian)

Coreano (Korean)

Indio (Indian)

Inglés (English; masculine) or Inglesa (feminine)

Portugués (Portuguese; masculine) or Portuguesa (feminine)

Ruso (Russian)

Sudafricano (South African)

Chino (Chinese)

Taiwanés (Taiwanese; masculine) or Taiwanesa (feminine)

Griego (Greek)

Noruego (Norwegian)

Sueco (Swiss; masculine) or Suiza (feminine)

Filipino (Philippine)

Indonesio (Indonesian)

Iraquí (Iraqi)

Vietnamita (Vietnamese)

Egipcio (Egyptian)

Etíope (Ethiopian)

Keniano (Kenyan)

Marroquí (Moroccan)

Nigeriano (Nigerian)

Australiano (Australian)

Africano (African)

How to Talk About Being Mixed-race in Spanish

Considering that we live in such a globalized world currently, lots of people come from a lengthy line of various races and ethnic backgrounds! I indicate, numerous of us are making use of items like Ancestry.com to obtain our DNA tested so we can trace back our family tree and reconnect with our heritage.

But for individuals that have parents that belong to two different citizenships– like me!– it can be difficult to pick which race you want to identify as when talking another language.

For instance, my daddy is from Venezuela, and also he came to the United States when he was eight years of ages. However my mother is American.

When somebody asks me what my race remains in English, I can simply state “I’m Venezuelan-American!” Yet sometimes, that can obtain perplexing to equate right into other languages.

Allow’s consider a couple of various methods to state both of your nationalities, or that you’re merely mixed-race!

La Raza Mixta (Mixed Race)

This phrase actually means “mixed race,” but it isn’t diplomatic in Spanish. This is since the phrase talks straight concerning race instead of ethnicity, heritage or culture, which some individuals locate offending.

So for best practices, choose from among the below words instead! But understand that this expression does exist.

Mestizo/a

The word mestizo (feminine: mestiza) is used to describe people throughout Latin America who have European and indigenous roots.

For example, my abuela (grandmother) is mixed with indigenous Venezuelan from the Andes mountains and Spaniard from the Iberian peninsula, like many other Venezuelan citizens. So she could be called a mestiza.

You can use this word just like another nationality. For example:

Yo soy mestizo. (I’m mixed race.)

Mulato/a

Similar to mestizo, the word mulato is used to describe people with other roots. If someone has white European and Black African roots, they can be described as a mulato/a.

For example:

Mi amiga es mulata. (My friend is mixed-race.)

Use the structure: nationality-nationality.

Just like in English, you can say you’re mixed race by saying both nationalities you identify as.

For example, just like I say I’m Venezuelan-American in English, I can also say I’m venezolana-estadounidense in Spanish.

Yo soy venezolana-estadounidense. (I’m Venezuelan-American.)

Mi madre es japonesa-estadounidense. (My mother is Japanese-American.)

Say you’re half and half.

If you’re approximately 50% one race and 50% another, you can say that you’re half of both.

Yo soy mitad colombiano y mitad estadounidense. (I’m half Colombian and half American.)

Mi madre es mitad japonesa y mitad estadounidense. (My mother is half Japanese and half American.)

And also there you have it! The one-stop overview to chatting all points ethnicity, heritage and also citizenship in Spanish.

Master these words as well as phrases to connect with people from throughout the globe and also end up being a worldwide person!

Plus, take this as a chance to really feel happy with where you came from.

As well as if you aren’t knowledgeable about your family heritage, I extremely suggest you make the effort to find out. Scavenge the net for resources, take a DNA examination or merely offer your abuelos (grandparents) a call!