Nationalities in Spanish: The Epic, Slang-Filled Guide

Nationalities in Spanish are one of those things that you just need to memorize in order to use correctly, as there are no rules to know how to say a nationality based on the name of the country (just like in English).

However, there are some general rules you should know:

Gender

To use nationalities correctly you must use the correct gender based on the subject of the sentence.

Example: (Peruvian) peruano – peruana

Singular and plural

Nationalities have to show if the subject is singular and plural.

Example: (Colombian) colombiano/ colombiana – colombianos/ colombianas.

Not capitalized

Unlike in English, nationalities in Spanish are never capitalized.

Example: Chileno – chileno

Nationalities in Spanish List

As I said before, there aren’t rules for nationalities. But, like English, we have common endings that might help you decide which one sounds more correct and eventually get them right with practice.

An – Ano (a) 

Ense

Eño – eña

Es – esa

ino – ina

Eno – ena 

Unsure what to learn next?

Download the exact curriculum that thousands of BaseLang students have used to become fluent in Spanish.

 

Download Guide Now!

1. Sushi is from Japan – El sushi es __ __ __ __ __ __ __
2. The Effel Tower is from France –  La torre Effel es__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3. Andy and Sally are from Australia – Ellos son __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
4. María is from Brazil – Ella es __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
5. Shakira is from Colombia – Ella es__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
6. Baseball is from The United States – Es __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
7. Mr. and Mrs. Chang are from China – Ellos son__ __ __ __ __ __
8. Pizza is from Italy – Es__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
9. BMW is from Germany – Es __ __ __ __ __ __
10. Tacos are from Mexico – Son__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

1. japones
2. francesa
3. australianos
4. brasileña
5. colombiana
6. estadounidense
7. chinos
8. italiana
9. alemán
10. mejicanos/ mexicanos

1. Lionel Messi is from Argentina, él es ______________
2. Salsa is the typical music from Puerto Rico, es __________
3. Angel falls (Salto Ángel) is the highest waterfall in the world, it is located in Venezuela, Salto Ángel es _________
4. Cristiano Ronaldo is from Portugal, él es _____________
5. Hockey is from Canada, es ______________
6. Panamá Canal is a way to communicate Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, el Canal de Panamá es _________
7. Haka is a traditional dance from New Zealand, es ____________
8. Kimi Raikkonen Is a famous formula 1 driver, he is from Finland, él es ____________
9. Manny Pacquiao is a famous boxer, he is from Philippines, él es _______________
10. Machu Picchu is a touristic place in Peru, es __________
11. Roger Federer is from Switzerland, él es ____________
12. Pablo Neruda is from Chile, él es ____________
13. Rafael Nadal is from Spain, él es ____________

1. argentino.
2. puertorriqueño.
3. venezolano.
4. portugués.
5. canadiense.
6. panameño.
7. neozelandés.
8. finlandés.
9. filipino.
10. peruano.
11. suizo.
12. chileno.
13. español.

Want to practice this concept with our flashcards for free? Click here to get free access to our Private Memrise decks, where we have flashcards for every lesson, including this one. They’re the same flashcards as our students use! Get those here.