bienvenido a Estados Unidos
/bjembenido a estados unidos/from spelling rules
Welcome to America in Spanish is bienvenido a Estados Unidos.
This phrase is a greeting used to welcome someone who has just arrived in the United States.
Which one should you use?
While English speakers often say 'Welcome to America', using América in Spanish can be seen as referring to the entire American continent rather than just the United States. To specify the country, use Estados Unidos.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes based on who you are welcoming. Use bienvenido for a single male and change the adjective to the feminine form bienvenida if you are welcoming a single female. If you are welcoming a group of people, you must use the plural form bienvenidos a Estados Unidos.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use América to mean the USA. However, in Spanish, Estados Unidos is the standard way to refer specifically to the country.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a greeting like bienvenidos is often accompanied by a physical gesture, such as a light hug or a kiss on the cheek, which is more common than a handshake.
- If you are welcoming a mixed-gender group, Spanish defaults to the masculine plural bienvenidos, even if there is only one man in a large group of women.
- The phrase bienvenido literally translates to 'well come'. This reflects its Vulgar Latin origin as a calque, or a loan translation, of a Germanic phrase.
Examples in context
- ¡Bienvenida a América para tu boda!Welcome to America for your wedding!
- Bienvenido a Estados Unidos, amigo.Welcome to the United States, friend.
- ¡Bienvenido a Estados Unidos!Welcome to the United States!
Example conversation
A man arrives at the airport to meet his friend.
- Lucía¡Hola, Javier! Bienvenido a Estados Unidos.Hi, Javier! Welcome to the United States.
- JavierMuchas gracias, Lucía. Estoy muy feliz.Thank you very much, Lucía. I am very happy.
- LucíaTe extrañamos mucho por aquí.We missed you a lot around here.
- JavierYo también, gracias por venir a buscarme.Me too, thanks for coming to get me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
