su nacionalidad
/su naθjonalidad/from spelling rules
The English phrase "her nationality" is translated into Spanish as su nacionalidad.
This phrase is used to describe the status of belonging to a particular nation for a female person, whether by birth or naturalization. Note that when using Spanish nationality adjectives to describe a person, such as in the phrase Ella es francesa, these adjectives are not capitalized.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term criollo/a may be used to refer to someone who is locally born or of Spanish descent.
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive adjective su is gender-neutral and can mean "his", "her", "its", "their" or "your (formal)" depending on the context. Additionally, nationality adjectives must agree with the gender of the person being described. For example, you would say Él es portugués for a male or Ella es portuguesa for a female.
How do you pronounce it?
/su naθjonalidad/
Did you know?
- The possessive adjective su is a direct descendant of the Latin suum and the Proto-Indo-European *swé, making it a distant relative of the English word 'self'.
- While nacionalidad describes a legal status, Spanish speakers often use the term patria to express the emotional and cultural bond to their homeland.
- In official Spanish documents, the field for nacionalidad is often filled with the demonym of the country, such as española or mexicana, rather than the name of the country itself.
Examples in context
- Ella proviene de México.She comes from Mexico.
- Es españolaShe is Spanish
- Ella es brasileña y alemanaShe is Brazilian and German
- No sé cuál es su nacionalidad.I don't know what her nationality is.
- Su nacionalidad es italiana.Her nationality is Italian.
- Debes indicar su nacionalidad en el formulario.You must indicate her nationality on the form.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are discussing a new colleague at work.
- Alejandro¿Sabes cuál es su nacionalidad?Do you know what her nationality is?
- LucíaNo estoy segura de su nacionalidad.I am not sure of her nationality.
- AlejandroElla es muy amable.She is very kind.
- LucíaSí, es una excelente persona.Yes, she is an excellent person.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nacionalidad, su, CC BY-SA 4.0.
