40 countries and nationalities in Spanish: list and examples

Build a countries and nationalities group

Import all 40 pairs and practise them with Spanish audio and writing on iOS or Android. The complete list remains useful without the app.

countries and nationalities in Spanish

How do you say your country and nationality in Spanish?

Use ser de + country: Soy de Brasil; Ana es de Colombia. The country is a proper name and keeps its capital letter.

Use ser + nationality without an article: Soy brasileño or brasileña; Ana es colombiana. Nationality words are usually lowercase.

Nationality adjectives agree with the person or group: mexicano/mexicana/mexicanos/mexicanas. Some forms, such as canadiense, costarricense and marroquí, do not change for gender.

Four rules that prevent common mistakes

Country names are capitalised: España, México, Japón.

Nationality words are normally lowercase: español, mexicana, japonés.

Do not add un or una after ser for a simple nationality statement: Es italiana, not Es una italiana.

Keep written accents in forms such as francés, alemán, japonés and marroquí; feminine forms may lose or keep an accent according to spelling: francés → francesa, alemán → alemana.

40 common countries and nationalities in Spanish

Start with the Spanish-speaking world, continue through the Americas and Europe, then add high-frequency countries from other regions.

40 Spanish country names and nationality adjectives with English meanings, examples and usage notes
Country and nationality	Meaning	Example in context	Usage note
España — español / española	Spain — Spanish	Lucía es española y vive en Sevilla.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
México — mexicano / mexicana	Mexico — Mexican	Soy de México; soy mexicano.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Argentina — argentino / argentina	Argentina — Argentinian	Ellas son argentinas y viven en Córdoba.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Colombia — colombiano / colombiana	Colombia — Colombian	Ana es colombiana, de Medellín.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Chile — chileno / chilena	Chile — Chilean	Mi profesor es chileno.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Perú — peruano / peruana	Peru — Peruvian	Somos peruanos y vivimos en Lima.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Venezuela — venezolano / venezolana	Venezuela — Venezuelan	Carla es venezolana.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Ecuador — ecuatoriano / ecuatoriana	Ecuador — Ecuadorian	Él es ecuatoriano, de Quito.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Cuba — cubano / cubana	Cuba — Cuban	Mi amiga es cubana.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
República Dominicana — dominicano / dominicana	Dominican Republic — Dominican	Somos dominicanos de Santo Domingo.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Estados Unidos — estadounidense	United States — American	Ella es estadounidense y vive en Boston.	Use estadounidense for the United States; americano can refer to the wider Americas.
Canadá — canadiense	Canada — Canadian	Mis vecinos son canadienses.	This nationality keeps the same form for gender.
Brasil — brasileño / brasileña	Brazil — Brazilian	Paulo es brasileño y habla portugués.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Uruguay — uruguayo / uruguaya	Uruguay — Uruguayan	Mi familia es uruguaya.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Paraguay — paraguayo / paraguaya	Paraguay — Paraguayan	Ellos son paraguayos.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Bolivia — boliviano / boliviana	Bolivia — Bolivian	María es boliviana, de La Paz.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Costa Rica — costarricense	Costa Rica — Costa Rican	El guía es costarricense.	This nationality keeps the same form for gender.
Guatemala — guatemalteco / guatemalteca	Guatemala — Guatemalan	Mi compañera es guatemalteca.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Panamá — panameño / panameña	Panama — Panamanian	Somos panameños.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Puerto Rico — puertorriqueño / puertorriqueña	Puerto Rico — Puerto Rican	El cantante es puertorriqueño.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Portugal — portugués / portuguesa	Portugal — Portuguese	Rita es portuguesa.	Keep the written accent in the masculine form; the feminine follows regular stress.
Francia — francés / francesa	France — French	Mi jefe es francés y su esposa es francesa.	Keep the written accent in the masculine form; the feminine follows regular stress.
Alemania — alemán / alemana	Germany — German	Son alemanes y viven en Berlín.	Keep the written accent in the masculine form; the feminine follows regular stress.
Italia — italiano / italiana	Italy — Italian	La arquitecta es italiana.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Reino Unido — británico / británica	United Kingdom — British	James es británico.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Irlanda — irlandés / irlandesa	Ireland — Irish	Mi vecina es irlandesa.	Keep the written accent in the masculine form; the feminine follows regular stress.
Países Bajos — neerlandés / neerlandesa	Netherlands — Dutch	Ellos son neerlandeses.	Keep the written accent in the masculine form; the feminine follows regular stress.
Bélgica — belga	Belgium — Belgian	Ella es belga y vive en Bruselas.	This nationality keeps the same form for gender.
Suiza — suizo / suiza	Switzerland — Swiss	Mis amigos son suizos.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Polonia — polaco / polaca	Poland — Polish	Kasia es polaca.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Rusia — ruso / rusa	Russia — Russian	Iván es ruso.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Ucrania — ucraniano / ucraniana	Ukraine — Ukrainian	Olena es ucraniana.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
China — chino / china	China — Chinese	Mis compañeros son chinos.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Japón — japonés / japonesa	Japan — Japanese	Akiko es japonesa.	Keep the written accent in the masculine form; the feminine follows regular stress.
India — indio / india	India — Indian	Él es indio y vive en Delhi.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Australia — australiano / australiana	Australia — Australian	Mi prima es australiana.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Marruecos — marroquí	Morocco — Moroccan	La familia es marroquí.	This nationality keeps the same form for gender.
Egipto — egipcio / egipcia	Egypt — Egyptian	La investigadora es egipcia.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Turquía — turco / turca	Turkey — Turkish	Somos turcos y vivimos en Ankara.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.
Sudáfrica — sudafricano / sudafricana	South Africa — South African	La médica es sudafricana.	The nationality agrees with gender: masculine / feminine.

Learn the pairs in four geographic groups

Geographic grouping makes the list easier to retrieve in introductions, travel conversations and classroom tasks.

Spanish-speaking countries

Build the core A1 set for introductions across the Spanish-speaking world.

España — español / española · México — mexicano / mexicana · Argentina — argentino / argentina · Colombia — colombiano / colombiana · Chile — chileno / chilena · Perú — peruano / peruana · Venezuela — venezolano / venezolana · Ecuador — ecuatoriano / ecuatoriana · Cuba — cubano / cubana · República Dominicana — dominicano / dominicana

The Americas

Add frequent neighbours, travel destinations and regional demonyms.

Estados Unidos — estadounidense · Canadá — canadiense · Brasil — brasileño / brasileña · Uruguay — uruguayo / uruguaya · Paraguay — paraguayo / paraguaya · Bolivia — boliviano / boliviana · Costa Rica — costarricense · Guatemala — guatemalteco / guatemalteca · Panamá — panameño / panameña · Puerto Rico — puertorriqueño / puertorriqueña

Europe

Practise common accent changes and gender pairs.

Portugal — portugués / portuguesa · Francia — francés / francesa · Alemania — alemán / alemana · Italia — italiano / italiana · Reino Unido — británico / británica · Irlanda — irlandés / irlandesa · Países Bajos — neerlandés / neerlandesa · Bélgica — belga · Suiza — suizo / suiza · Polonia — polaco / polaca

Other world regions

Finish with high-frequency countries from Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Rusia — ruso / rusa · Ucrania — ucraniano / ucraniana · China — chino / china · Japón — japonés / japonesa · India — indio / india · Australia — australiano / australiana · Marruecos — marroquí · Egipto — egipcio / egipcia · Turquía — turco / turca · Sudáfrica — sudafricano / sudafricana

How should you practise the pairs?

Say Soy de… and Soy… for five countries, changing the nationality ending where needed.

Write country names with capitals and nationality words with lowercase initials.

Make plural groups: Ellos son mexicanos; Ellas son españolas; Son canadienses.

Hola Cards is a Spanish flashcard app from holacards.org for iOS and Android. It is free to download, requires no account, has no ads, and works offline. The interface is available in English, Russian, and Portuguese; cards support translations in 28 languages and 18 practice and game modes. You can import these 40 fixed pairs into a custom group and practise them with Spanish audio, writing, pronunciation, and review modes. Hola Cards does not infer a person’s nationality, choose a regional demonym, or correct agreement automatically.

Connect nationality adjectives with adjective agreement, ser and estar, introductions, travel phrases and the personal a.

Spanish adjective agreement Ser vs estar for beginners Spanish greetings and introductions Spanish travel phrases Spanish personal a

Country and nationality cards beside headphones, a notebook and a phone with Spanish audio — Hear the accented forms and write each nationality inside a complete sentence.

A five-minute nationality routine

Choose five countries and say their Spanish names.
Give masculine and feminine nationality forms.
Make one sentence with ser de and one with ser.
Turn two singular nationalities into plurals.
Listen, repeat and write the five pairs from memory.

Vocabulary and grammar references

The A1–A2 nationality task, adjective agreement and lowercase spelling were checked against Instituto Cervantes and RAE materials.

FAQ

How do I say “I am from Mexico” in Spanish?

Say Soy de México. To state nationality, say Soy mexicano or Soy mexicana.

Are nationalities capitalised in Spanish?

Normally no. Countries are capitalised, but nationality words and language names use lowercase unless they begin a sentence.

Do nationality words change for gender?

Many do: español/española and italiano/italiana. Others keep one gender form, including canadiense, costarricense and marroquí.

Do I need un or una before a nationality?

Not in a basic statement with ser: Ella es argentina. An article can appear when the word is used as a noun or is further specified, but beginners should learn the article-free pattern first.

Why does francés become francesa?

The masculine form carries a written accent, but the feminine form francesa follows regular stress and does not need it. The same happens with alemán/alemana and japonés/japonesa.

Does Hola Cards choose the correct nationality form automatically?

No. It lets you import and practise the fixed pairs; this guide explains capitals, gender, number and accents.

Copy the 40 pairs into Hola Cards

Open word groups in Hola Cards, choose paste/import, and paste the block. The app recognises the title and “Spanish - translation” lines.

**Countries and nationalities in Spanish: 40 pairs**

España — español / española - Spain — Spanish
México — mexicano / mexicana - Mexico — Mexican
Argentina — argentino / argentina - Argentina — Argentinian
Colombia — colombiano / colombiana - Colombia — Colombian
Chile — chileno / chilena - Chile — Chilean
Perú — peruano / peruana - Peru — Peruvian
Venezuela — venezolano / venezolana - Venezuela — Venezuelan
Ecuador — ecuatoriano / ecuatoriana - Ecuador — Ecuadorian
Cuba — cubano / cubana - Cuba — Cuban
República Dominicana — dominicano / dominicana - Dominican Republic — Dominican
Estados Unidos — estadounidense - United States — American
Canadá — canadiense - Canada — Canadian
Brasil — brasileño / brasileña - Brazil — Brazilian
Uruguay — uruguayo / uruguaya - Uruguay — Uruguayan
Paraguay — paraguayo / paraguaya - Paraguay — Paraguayan
Bolivia — boliviano / boliviana - Bolivia — Bolivian
Costa Rica — costarricense - Costa Rica — Costa Rican
Guatemala — guatemalteco / guatemalteca - Guatemala — Guatemalan
Panamá — panameño / panameña - Panama — Panamanian
Puerto Rico — puertorriqueño / puertorriqueña - Puerto Rico — Puerto Rican
Portugal — portugués / portuguesa - Portugal — Portuguese
Francia — francés / francesa - France — French
Alemania — alemán / alemana - Germany — German
Italia — italiano / italiana - Italy — Italian
Reino Unido — británico / británica - United Kingdom — British
Irlanda — irlandés / irlandesa - Ireland — Irish
Países Bajos — neerlandés / neerlandesa - Netherlands — Dutch
Bélgica — belga - Belgium — Belgian
Suiza — suizo / suiza - Switzerland — Swiss
Polonia — polaco / polaca - Poland — Polish
Rusia — ruso / rusa - Russia — Russian
Ucrania — ucraniano / ucraniana - Ukraine — Ukrainian
China — chino / china - China — Chinese
Japón — japonés / japonesa - Japan — Japanese
India — indio / india - India — Indian
Australia — australiano / australiana - Australia — Australian
Marruecos — marroquí - Morocco — Moroccan
Egipto — egipcio / egipcia - Egypt — Egyptian
Turquía — turco / turca - Turkey — Turkish
Sudáfrica — sudafricano / sudafricana - South Africa — South African

Importing 40 Spanish country and nationality pairs into a custom Hola Cards group — One focused group keeps capitals, accents and gender pairs visible together.

Review countries and nationalities in Hola Cards

Practise the 40 fixed pairs with Spanish audio, writing, pronunciation, custom groups, and review modes on iOS and Android.

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