Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Estados Unidos de América | /esˌtados uˌnidos de aˈmeɾika/ | masculine, plural |
| Estados Unidos | /esˌtados uˈnidos/ | masculine, plural |
| yunaits | /ʝunaits/ (from spelling rules) | Bolivia, masculine, plural |
This phrase refers to the country in North America. In addition to the standard names, you may encounter informal terms such as Tío Sam, derived from Uncle Sam or the colloquial and humorous Yanquilandia. In some Latin American countries, the informal term Gringolandia is used, which can sometimes carry a negative connotation.
Which one should you use?
Estados Unidos is the most common way to refer to the country in everyday speech, whereas Estados Unidos de América is the full, formal name.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain Bolivian dialects, the phonetic transcription of the English pronunciation, yunaits, is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The name is a masculine plural noun phrase and almost always requires the definite article los when used in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˌtados uˌnidos de aˈmeɾika/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often omit the definite article los (for example, saying Vivo en Estados Unidos instead of Vivo en los Estados Unidos). However, including it is more grammatically standard in Spanish.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word América traditionally refers to the entire continent from Canada to Argentina, unlike the English usage which often specifies the United States.
- The phrase Estados Unidos is a literal calque of the English name, meaning the words were translated directly from English into Spanish rather than being an organic evolution of the language.
- The name América is not an ancient Spanish word but was borrowed from New Latin, which was named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué idioma se habla en los Estados Unidos?Which language is spoken in the United States of America?This sentence is useful for asking which language is spoken in the Estados Unidos.Tatoeba #460392 by Shishir, translation #854308 by piksea
- La capital de los Estados Unidos de América es Washington D.C.The capital of the United States of America is Washington, D.C.This sentence is useful for stating the capital of the Estados Unidos de América.Tatoeba #587251 by Shishir, translation #586901 by Shoyren
- George Washington fue el primer presidente de Estados Unidos de América.George Washington was the first President of the United States of America.This sentence is useful for identifying the first president of the Estados Unidos de América.Tatoeba #1272526 by marcelostockle, translation #52933 by CK
- Me gustaría aprender más sobre la historia de los Estados Unidos de América.I would like to learn more about the history of the United States of America.
- ¿Has estado en EE. UU.?Have you been to the United States?
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are discussing their travel plans.
- AlejandroQuiero viajar a los Estados Unidos de América.I want to travel to the United States of America.
- ElenaEs un viaje muy largo, Alejandro.It is a very long trip, Alejandro.
- AlejandroSí, pero me gusta mucho ese país.Yes, but I like that country a lot.
- ElenaEntonces debes visitar los Estados Unidos de América pronto.Then you should visit the United States of America soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “united states of america” translations and entries Estados Unidos de América, Estados Unidos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries América, Estados Unidos, de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
