Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| sudamericano | /sudameɾiˈkano/ |
| suramericano | /suɾameɾiˈkano/ |
The term is used as an adjective to describe things relating to South America, or as a noun to refer to a South American person.
Which one should you use?
The forms sudamericano and suramericano are synonyms and are interchangeable in meaning.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
suramericano is a formal way to say South American. Note that the colloquial term sudaca is used for South American, but it can be considered offensive.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, both the terms sudamericano and suramericano are commonly used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. Use the feminine form sudamericana when referring to a feminine noun. It takes the masculine plural form sudamericanos when referring to a group of men or a mixed-gender group.
How do you pronounce it?
/sudameɾiˈkano/
Did you know?
- Because sudamericano is an adjective, it can be used as a noun to describe a person, but it is never capitalized in Spanish, unlike the English 'South American'.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, people may use the term americano to refer to anyone from the Americas, which can lead to confusion if you specifically mean someone from South America.
- The term sudamericano is often used to distinguish the region from latinoamericano, as the latter includes Mexico and Central America, while the former excludes them.
Examples in context
- Oí que un campista sudamericano fue devorado por una anaconda.I heard that a South American camper was eaten by an anaconda.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the adjective sudamericano.Tatoeba #1305653 by marcelostockle, translation #953489 by CK
- Los países sudamericanos son hermososSouth American countries are beautiful
- Mi amigo es de América del SurMy friend is from South America
- Él tiene un pasaporte sudamericano.He has a South American passport.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are talking about a music festival.
- SofíaMe gusta mucho este ritmo sudamericano.I really like this South American rhythm.
- JavierA mí también, es muy alegre.Me too, it is very cheerful.
- SofíaCreo que el grupo es sudamericano.I think the group is South American.
- JavierSeguro que vienen de Colombia o Brasil.They probably come from Colombia or Brazil.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “south american” translations and entries sudamericano, suramericano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
