I can ask anyone where they're from and say where I'm from, naming both the country and the nationality in the right form for a man or a woman.
Where people are from and what nationality they are
Where people are from and what nationality they are
After the name, people ask where you're from.
Where from: ser, then de before the country. Soy de Australia. Irene es de España. The question: ¿De dónde eres? (informal) and ¿De dónde es usted? (formal).
A nationality is an adjective: no de before it. Soy australiano, not “Soy de australiano”. The two answers mean the same: Soy de Italia. = Soy italiano.
Gender: English “Italian” never changes; a Spanish nationality follows the person.
• A word in -o changes it to -a: italiano — italiana.
• A word ending in a consonant adds -a: español — española.
Words in -án and -és lose the accent mark in the feminine: alemán — alemana, francés — francesa, inglés — inglesa. The stress stays put: a word ending in a vowel is stressed on the second-to-last syllable anyway.
Countries take a capital (Australia). Nationalities and languages, unlike in English, don't: australiano, el español, el inglés. A language has the masculine form.
In México the x sounds /x/, like Spanish j: “MEH-khee-koh”, not “MEHK-see-koh”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Soy Australia” — correct: Soy australiano or Soy de Australia.
• NOT “Soy de australiano” — de goes only before a country.
• NOT “Soy Inglés” — correct: Soy inglés.
• NOT “Teresa es alemán” — for a woman: alemana.
• NOT “alemána” — the feminine has no accent mark.
• NOT “Es de Italia italiano” — choose one.
Country and nationality
The country is capitalized; the nationality isn't.
| Country | He | She |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | australiano | australiana |
| España | español | española |
| Italia | italiano | italiana |
| Francia | francés | francesa |
| Alemania | alemán | alemana |
| Inglaterra | inglés | inglesa |
| China | chino | china |
| México | mexicano | mexicana |
How the feminine is formed
Words ending in -án and -és lose the accent mark in the feminine.
| Rule | He | She |
|---|---|---|
| -o changes to -a | italiano | italiana |
| -o changes to -a | chino | china |
| a consonant adds -a | español | española |
| -án becomes -ana | alemán | alemana |
| -és becomes -esa | francés | francesa |
| -és becomes -esa | inglés | inglesa |
Lesson notes
Where people are from and what nationality they are
After the name, people ask where you're from.
Where from: ser, then de before the country. Soy de Australia. Irene es de España. The question: ¿De dónde eres? (informal) and ¿De dónde es usted? (formal).
A nationality is an adjective: no de before it. Soy australiano, not “Soy de australiano”. The two answers mean the same: Soy de Italia. = Soy italiano.
Gender: English “Italian” never changes; a Spanish nationality follows the person.
• A word in -o changes it to -a: italiano — italiana.
• A word ending in a consonant adds -a: español — española.
Words in -án and -és lose the accent mark in the feminine: alemán — alemana, francés — francesa, inglés — inglesa. The stress stays put: a word ending in a vowel is stressed on the second-to-last syllable anyway.
Countries take a capital (Australia). Nationalities and languages, unlike in English, don't: australiano, el español, el inglés. A language has the masculine form.
In México the x sounds /x/, like Spanish j: “MEH-khee-koh”, not “MEHK-see-koh”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Soy Australia” — correct: Soy australiano or Soy de Australia.
• NOT “Soy de australiano” — de goes only before a country.
• NOT “Soy Inglés” — correct: Soy inglés.
• NOT “Teresa es alemán” — for a woman: alemana.
• NOT “alemána” — the feminine has no accent mark.
• NOT “Es de Italia italiano” — choose one.