meine Nationalität
The English phrase "my nationality" is translated into German as meine Nationalität.
The phrase refers to the status of belonging to a particular nation by birth or naturalization. When discussing specific nationalities in German, such as Engländer (English person) or Italiener (Italian), remember that these nouns are generally written with an initial capital letter.
Which one should you use?
While meine Nationalität is used in general conversation, the term Staatsangehörigkeit is the preferred way to say "citizenship" or "nationality" in official contexts, such as legal documents or government forms.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun Nationalität is a feminine noun. Because of this, the possessive pronoun must take the feminine ending -e to become meine.
Did you know?
- If you use the word Nationalität, a German speaker might think you are discussing your ethnic or cultural background rather than your legal legal status.
- If you describe your nationality using an adjective, such as deutsch (German), it is not capitalized unless it is part of a proper name, unlike the noun Deutsche.
- Historically, the term Nationalität became prominent in German during the 19th century as the fragmented German states moved toward a single unified empire.
Examples in context
- Ich bii Schwiizer.I am Swiss.
- Ich chume us der Schwiiiz.I come from Switzerland.
- I bin Österreicher.I am Austrian.
- I kumm aus Österreich.I come from Austria.
- Meine Nationalität ist deutsch.My nationality is German.
- Muss ich meine Nationalität im Formular angeben?Do I have to state my nationality in the form?
- Meine Nationalität hat sich durch die Einbürgerung geändert.My nationality changed through naturalization.
Example conversation
Maximilian and Sarah are filling out registration forms at a hotel.
- MaximilianSarah, wo schreibt man hier meine Nationalität hin?Sarah, where do I write my nationality here?
- SarahDas Feld ist direkt unter deinem Namen, Maximilian.The field is directly under your name, Maximilian.
- MaximilianDanke, ich habe es jetzt gefunden.Thanks, I have found it now.
- SarahGerne, wir können dann endlich einchecken.You're welcome, we can finally check in now.
