ciudadanía
/θjudadaˈnia/feminine
The English word "citizenship" is translated into Spanish as ciudadanía.
Ciudadanía is a noun used to describe the state of being a citizen. To refer specifically to dual citizenship, use the phrase doble ciudadanía, which is the standard expression used across Spanish-speaking countries.
Meaning: state of being a citizen (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Ciudadanía is a feminine noun. Because of this, it must be preceded by feminine articles or adjectives, such as la ciudadanía or una ciudadanía. The plural form of this word is ciudadanías.
How do you pronounce it?
/θjudadaˈnia/
Did you know?
- While 'citizenship' in English often feels like a legal status, the Spanish ciudadanía can also be used in political science to refer to 'civil society' or the collective body of citizens.
- The word ciudadanía shares the same linguistic roots as the English word 'city'. Both words trace back to the concept of a group of people living together in a specific community.
- While ciudadanía refers to the legal status, the term nacionalidad is more commonly used in everyday conversation when asking someone where they are from or what passport they hold.
Examples in context
- Él tiene ciudadanía ucraniana.He has Ukrainian citizenship.This sentence shows how to use ciudadanía to indicate possessing a specific nationality.Tatoeba #4708380 by DarkHollow, translation #4707915 by AlanF_US
- Tom quiere renunciar a su ciudadanía.Tom wants to renounce his citizenship.This sentence illustrates the use of ciudadanía in the context of renouncing it.Tatoeba #10112876 by manufrutos, translation #10107394 by ddnktr
- Quiero que mis hijos tengan doble ciudadanía.I want my children to have dual citizenship.This sentence demonstrates the standard phrase doble ciudadanía for dual citizenship.Tatoeba #2502877 by hayastan, translation #2030030 by CK
- La ciudadanía es un derecho fundamental en cualquier país democrático.Citizenship is a fundamental right in any democratic country.
- Me gustaría obtener la nacionalidad española.I would like to obtain Spanish citizenship.
- ¿Puedo ser ciudadano de dos países al mismo tiempo?Can I be a citizen of two countries at the same time?
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are discussing legal documents for a trip.
- SofíaNecesito renovar mi documento de ciudadanía.I need to renew my citizenship document.
- Mateo¿Es un proceso muy largo, Sofía?Is it a very long process, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, la ciudadanía requiere muchos papeles.Yes, citizenship requires many papers.
- MateoEspero que lo resuelvas pronto.I hope you resolve it soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “citizenship” translations and entries ciudadanía, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciudadanía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
