What does it mean word for word?
The phrase es de literally translates to "is of" or "is from" in English.
Which one should you use?
While es de Guatemala is the standard way to express origin, you may encounter different forms depending on the context: Es de Guate is an informal, shortened version and Es originario/originaria de Guatemala is used to specify that someone is originally from Guatemala.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The slang terms chapín or chapina are used to describe a Guatemalan person, and these terms are also used in Nicaragua to refer to Guatemalans.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on who you are talking about. To say "I am from Guatemala", change the third-person verb es to the first-person soy to get soy de Guatemala. To say "we are from Guatemala", use the first-person plural somos to get somos de Guatemala. To say "they are from Guatemala", use the third-person plural son to get son de Guatemala.
How do you pronounce it?
/es de ɡwatemala/
Did you know?
- The word Guatemala is not actually a Spanish word, but was borrowed from the Nahuatl word Cuauhtēmallān. This name translates to 'place of the woodpile' in the language of the Aztecs.
Examples in context
- Les presento a la señora García, ella es originaria de Guatemala y es una experta en su campo.I present to you Mrs. Garcia, she is originally from Guatemala and is an expert in her field.
- Ella es Sofía, es de Guate y nos conocemos desde la infancia.She is Sofia, she is from Guate and we have known each other since childhood.
- ¿Conoces a Juan? Sí, es chapín y siempre está contando chistes.Do you know Juan? Yes, he is chapin and is always telling jokes.
- Mi primo es de Guatemala.My cousin is from Guatemala.
- La nueva profesora es de Guatemala.The new teacher is from Guatemala.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking about a new coworker.
- Alejandro¿De dónde es el nuevo colega?Where is the new colleague from?
- ElenaÉl es de Guatemala.He is from Guatemala.
- Alejandro¡Qué bien! Yo quiero visitar ese país.That's great! I want to visit that country.
- ElenaSeguro que él te puede ayudar.I'm sure he can help you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Guatemala, de, es, CC BY-SA 4.0.
