República Dominicana
/reˌpublika dominiˈkana/
República Dominicana is the Spanish name for the Dominican Republic.
República Dominicana refers to the country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. In poetic or affectionate contexts, you may also encounter the term Quisqueya or the phrase Quisqueya la Bella to refer to the nation.
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of República (Republic) and Dominicana (Dominican), following the same structure as the English name.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term El Cibao is used specifically to refer to the northern region of the Dominican Republic.
How does it change in a sentence?
The name of the country is almost always used with the feminine definite article la, as in la República Dominicana.
How do you pronounce it?
/reˌpublika dominiˈkana/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using República Dominicana as an adjective. While English speakers often use the country name to describe people or things, you should instead use the adjective dominicano for masculine nouns or dominicana for feminine nouns.
Did you know?
- While República Dominicana is the official name, the island it shares is called La Española. This name was given by Christopher Columbus and describes the land as 'Spanish'.
- The name Dominicana is derived from Santo Domingo, which refers to Saint Dominic. The city and the country share this name because the city was the first permanent European settlement in the New World.
- In informal speech, people from la República Dominicana are often called dominicanos or dominicanas, but you may also hear them refer to themselves as quisqueyanos to emphasize their indigenous roots.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría conocer más sobre la República Dominicana y su cultura.I would like to know more about the Dominican Republic and its culture.
- ¿Has estado en Dominicana? ¡Es un lugar increíble!Have you been to Dominicana? It is an incredible place!
- La República Dominicana, tierra de ensueño donde el sol siempre brilla y la alegría contagia a todos.The Dominican Republic, land of dreams where the sun always shines and joy is contagious to everyone.
- Yo quiero viajar a la República Dominicana.I want to travel to the Dominican Republic.
- La República Dominicana tiene playas hermosas.The Dominican Republic has beautiful beaches.
- Él nació en la República Dominicana.He was born in the Dominican Republic.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are talking about their vacation plans.
- ElenaVoy a ir a la República Dominicana.I am going to the Dominican Republic.
- Mateo¡Qué bien! ¿Cuándo viajas, Elena?That's great! When are you traveling, Elena?
- ElenaViajo el próximo mes.I travel next month.
- MateoDiviértete mucho en la República Dominicana.Have a lot of fun in the Dominican Republic.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry República Dominicana, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
