nacionalidad
/naθjonaliˈdad/feminine
The Spanish word for nationality is nacionalidad.
The term refers to the membership of a person in a specific nation or state.
Meaning: membership of a nation or state (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word nacionalidad is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/naθjonaliˈdad/
Did you know?
- The word nacionalidad shares the same ancient root as the English word 'kin', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to produce' or 'to give birth'.
- If you were to describe someone's nationality as 'national' in English, it might sound patriotic, but in Spanish, nacional is a neutral descriptor of origin.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the term nacionalidad is used in legal documents to refer specifically to the legal bond of citizenship rather than just ethnic or cultural origin.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuál es su nacionalidad?What is his nationality?Tatoeba #948558 by hayastan, translation #286323 by CK
- No tengo nacionalidad polaca.I don't have the Polish nationality.Tatoeba #10046537 by manufrutos, translation #7431306 by MarijnKp
- "¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad?" "Polaca"."What's your nationality?" "Polish."Tatoeba #10046540 by manufrutos, translation #6850928 by lucasmg123
- Eres argentino.You are Argentinean.
- Ese chilango es muy simpático.That person from Mexico City is very nice.
- ¡Mirá, che! ¿Sos argentino?Hey, look! Are you Argentinean?
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are filling out registration forms at a gym.
- ElenaMateo, ¿puedes escribir tu nacionalidad aquí?Mateo, can you write your nationality here?
- MateoSí, pongo que mi nacionalidad es española.Yes, I'll put that my nationality is Spanish.
- ElenaPerfecto, yo ya puse la mía.Perfect, I already put mine.
- MateoGracias por ayudarme con el formulario, Elena.Thanks for helping me with the form, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nationality” translations and entries nacionalidad, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nacionalidad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
