Countries and nationalities: two different words
English has one word for the country (Brazil) and another for the nationality (Brazilian). The country goes after from: “He’s from Brazil.” The nationality goes after be: “He’s Brazilian.” Nationalities always start with a capital letter. The cards on this page play four of them. Most follow a few endings:
- -ian or -an: Brazil – Brazilian, Mexico – Mexican, the United States – American, Italy – Italian, Russia – Russian, Egypt – Egyptian, Germany – German
- -ish: the United Kingdom – British, England – English, Spain – Spanish, Turkey – Turkish, Poland – Polish
- -ese: China – Chinese, Japan – Japanese
- Learn these one by one: France – French, Switzerland – Swiss
Questions with are: we, you and they
With we, you and they, be is always are. To make a question, move are to the front: “They are Brazilian.” becomes “Are they Brazilian?” Don’t add do: be makes its own questions. Two names joined with and work like they: “Are Nina and Leo Brazilian?”
- We are late. → Are we late?
- You are British. → Are you British? (you can be one person or several)
- They are on holiday. → Are they on holiday?
Short answers: “Yes, they are.” and “No, they aren’t.”
A pronoun and are or aren’t are enough. In a yes answer, are stays in full: “Yes, they are.”, never “Yes, they’re.”: they’re, we’re and I’m need more words after them. In a no answer, “No, they aren’t.” and “No, they’re not.” are both fine.
- Are they French? – Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.
- Are you Spanish? (to two people) – Yes, we are. / No, we aren’t.
- Are you British? (to one person) – Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
- Are we late? – No, you aren’t. / No, you’re not.
How to correct a wrong guess
People often guess a nationality from a name or an accent, and they are often wrong. A bare “No.” can sound cold. Give the short answer, then the right detail: it sounds friendly and keeps the conversation going.
Below, one colleague guesses that two visitors, Nina and Leo, are Brazilian. Listen to how the other corrects the guess, then answers a question about himself.
Maya Are Nina and Leo Brazilian?
Owen No, they aren't. Nina is Mexican, and Leo is American.
Maya Are you British?
Owen Yes, I am. I'm from London.
Asking “Where are they from?”
When you don’t want to guess, ask. Where comes first, then are or is, then the person; from stays at the end. The answer can use the country or the nationality.
- Where are you from? – I’m from Poland. / I’m Polish.
- Where are they from? – They’re from Japan. They’re Japanese.
- Where’s she from? – She’s from Egypt. She’s Egyptian.
Saying the words clearly
The stress often moves when a country becomes a nationality. Say the part in capitals louder:
- Japan (ja-PAN) → Japanese (ja-pa-NESE)
- China (CHI-na) → Chinese (chi-NESE)
- Italy (IT-a-ly) → Italian (i-TAL-ian)
- Egypt (E-gypt) → Egyptian (e-GYP-tian)
- Three sounds: j in Japanese and German, ch in Chinese and French, sh in Spanish, Polish and British.
Common mistakes
Each one has an easy fix:
- “She’s Mexico.” → “She’s Mexican.” or “She’s from Mexico.”
- “Yes, they’re.” A yes answer keeps the full form: “Yes, they are.”
- “Do they are Brazilian?” Be doesn’t need do: “Are they Brazilian?”
- “They are Japaneses.” Nationalities ending in -ese or -ish, and French and Swiss, never take -s: “They are Japanese.”, “They are British.”
- “spanish”, “turkish”. Nationalities always take a capital letter: Spanish, Turkish.
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Short daily practice works best. Say everything out loud.
- 2 minutes: play the conversation above, pause after each line and repeat it.
- 3 minutes: say each country and nationality pair from the list: “Brazil, Brazilian. Mexico, Mexican.” Stress the right part.
- 3 minutes: the wrong-guess game. Think of two people from different countries, ask a wrong question and correct it: “Are they Spanish? No, they aren’t. He’s Italian, and she’s French.”
- 2 minutes: write three true sentences about people you know: “My colleagues are Turkish.” “My neighbours aren’t British.”
What comes next
Next come age and contact details: “How old is he?” – “He’s twenty-two.” and “What’s your phone number?” Practise numbers that sound alike, such as fifteen and fifty. After that, short answers return with is and isn’t when you ask who owns something: “Is this your bag?” – “No, it isn’t.”