welche Staatsangehörigkeit haben Sie?
In German, the phrase "what is your nationality?" is translated as welche Staatsangehörigkeit haben Sie?
This phrase is a formal way to ask which country a person is legally a citizen of. It is important to note that Staatsangehörigkeit specifically refers to legal citizenship. If you wish to ask about someone's general origin or ethnic background, you would use Herkunft instead.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase welche Staatsangehörigkeit haben Sie? is formal. If you want to ask the question informally, you can use welche Staatsangehörigkeit hast du? or Was ist deine Nationalität? For a formal version of the latter, you would use Was ist Ihre Nationalität?
How does it change in a sentence?
In German, this question is structured using the verb haben (to have) rather than sein (to be).
Did you know?
- The formal Sie used in this question is grammatically identical to the plural 'they', which is why it was historically referred to as a plural of modesty.
- The capitalization of Sie in this phrase was introduced in the 17th century to distinguish the formal 'you' from the word for 'she' or 'they'.
- The word Staatsangehörigkeit is a compound of Staat meaning 'state' and Angehörigkeit meaning 'belonging' or 'affiliation'.
Examples in context
- Guten Tag! Was ist Ihre Nationalität?Good day! What is your nationality?
Example conversation
An immigration officer is interviewing a traveler at the airport.
- LauraGuten Tag, welche Staatsangehörigkeit haben Sie?Good day, what is your nationality?
- LukasIch bin deutscher Staatsbürger.I am a German citizen.
- LauraVielen Dank, Lukas.Thank you very much, Lukas.
- LukasGern geschehen, Laura.You're welcome, Laura.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Sie, Staatsangehörigkeit, haben, sie, welche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
