Inklingo

How to Say "nationality" in Spanish

English → Spanish

nacionalidad

/nah-syoh-nah-lee-DAHD//nasjonaliˈðað/

nounA1
Use 'nacionalidad' to refer to the official, legal status of belonging to a particular country, which is typically stated on official documents.
A person holding a small blue book with a golden emblem, standing in front of a colorful map of the world.

Examples

¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad?

What is your nationality?

Tengo la nacionalidad argentina y la italiana.

I have Argentine and Italian nationality.

Es necesario indicar su nacionalidad en este formulario.

It is necessary to indicate your nationality on this form.

The '-dad' Gender Rule

A great trick to remember: almost every Spanish word that ends in '-dad' is feminine. That means you should always use 'la' or 'una' with 'nacionalidad'.

Describing yourself

When you want to say where you are from using this word, you usually say 'Mi nacionalidad es...' or 'Soy de nacionalidad...'. Note that the word 'nacionalidad' is a noun, while 'mexicano' or 'español' are the adjectives that describe it.

Using the wrong gender

Mistake: “El nacionalidad mexicana.”

Correction: La nacionalidad mexicana. Because it ends in '-dad', it's always a 'girl' word!

Capitalization confusion

Mistake: “Mi Nacionalidad es Española.”

Correction: Mi nacionalidad es española. In Spanish, we don't capitalize names of languages or nationalities unless they start a sentence.

ciudadanía

nounB1
Use 'ciudadanía' when talking about the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen of a country, often acquired through naturalization or birth, and implies active participation.

Examples

Después de vivir diez años en México, obtuvo la ciudadanía.

After living in Mexico for ten years, he obtained citizenship.

Nacionalidad vs. Ciudadanía

The most common mistake is using 'ciudadanía' when you simply need to state your country of origin, like on a form. For stating your official country of belonging, always use 'nacionalidad'.

Related Translations

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