ciudadano estadounidense
/θjudadano estadounidense/from spelling rules
The English phrase "US citizen" is translated into Spanish as ciudadano estadounidense.
The phrase is used to describe a person who is a legal citizen of the United States of America. While estadounidense is the precise term for a US citizen, you may encounter the terms americano or americana in informal conversation. Note that americano/a can be seen as imprecise since it refers to the entire American continent.
Which one should you use?
ciudadano estadounidense is the precise term for a US citizen, whereas americano/a is often used colloquially. In some regions, the colloquial term yanqui is also used to refer to a US citizen.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term yanqui is a colloquial and informal term used in some Spanish-speaking regions to refer to a US citizen.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun changes gender to match the person: use ciudadano for a man and ciudadana for a woman. To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the plural ending -s, resulting in ciudadanos estadounidenses.
How do you pronounce it?
/θjudadano estadounidense/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, calling someone americano is not just imprecise but can be seen as offensive, as it implies the 'US citizen' owns the entire American continent.
- While yanqui is often used as a slang term for a 'US citizen', it originally derived from the English name 'Yankee', which was a nickname for people from New England.
- The word ciudadano is a morphological derivative of ciudad, meaning 'city', reflecting the historical connection between citizenship and urban life.
Examples in context
- El consulado proporciona servicios a ciudadanos estadounidenses que se encuentran en el extranjero.The consulate provides services to US citizens abroad.
- Ella es una ciudadana estadounidense.She is a US citizen.
- Él es un ciudadano estadounidense.He is a US citizen.
- ¿Necesitas ser un ciudadano estadounidense para trabajar aquí?Do you need to be a US citizen to work here?
- Mi hermano es un ciudadano estadounidense.My brother is a US citizen.
Example conversation
At a government registration office.
- Elena¿Es usted un ciudadano estadounidense?Are you a US citizen?
- JavierSí, soy un ciudadano estadounidense.Yes, I am a US citizen.
- ElenaMuy bien, Javier, necesito su pasaporte.Very well, Javier, I need your passport.
- JavierAquí tiene, Elena.Here you go, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciudadano, estadounidense, CC BY-SA 4.0.
