Guatemala
/ɡwateˈmala/feminine
Guatemala is the Spanish name for the country in Central America.
Guatemala refers to the nation itself. When you want to describe people from this country, use guatemalteco for a man or guatemalteca for a woman and guatemaltecos for a group of people.
Meaning: country in Central America (name)
Which one should you use?
The word Guatemala refers specifically to the country, while guatemalteco or guatemalteca are used to refer to the people or the nationality. Additionally, if you wish to distinguish the capital city from the nation, you should use Ciudad de Guatemala.
How does it change in a sentence?
Guatemala is a feminine noun. The demonyms for people follow standard Spanish gender rules: guatemalteco is the singular masculine form, guatemalteca is the singular feminine form and guatemaltecos is the plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡwateˈmala/
Did you know?
- The name Guatemala is not originally Spanish but is borrowed from the Nahuatl language. It comes from Cuauhtēmallān, which means 'place of many trees' or 'land of woodpiles'.
- In Spanish, you can refer to Guatemala as la tierra de la eterna primavera, meaning 'the land of eternal spring'.
- The demonym guatemalteco follows a specific Spanish pattern where the suffix -teco is used, which is rare in most other Spanish nationalities.
Examples in context
- Ciudad de Guatemala es la capital de Guatemala.Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala.This sentence uses Guatemala to identify the country where its capital is located.Tatoeba #7910021 by MarijnKp, translation #7909218 by MarijnKp
- La República de Guatemala tiene una rica historia cultural.The Republic of Guatemala has a rich cultural history.
- Guatemala es un país hermoso.Guatemala is a beautiful country.
Example conversation
María and Alejandro are talking about their travel plans.
- María¿Vas a viajar a Guatemala este año?Are you traveling to Guatemala this year?
- AlejandroSí, quiero conocer Guatemala con mi familia.Yes, I want to visit Guatemala with my family.
- MaríaQué suerte tienes, Alejandro.How lucky you are, Alejandro.
- AlejandroGracias, María, estoy muy emocionado.Thanks, María, I am very excited.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guatemala” translations and entries Guatemala, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Guatemala, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
