An easy video guide to saying countries & nationalities in English

Ever found yourself tongue-tied when trying to name where someone's from? Worry not, because today, we're taking a stroll around the world, to learn about the countries and nationalities in English.

Grab your passports! (Or not. You won’t need it, we’re not literally traveling. But grab it if you’re really enthusiastic and want a prop.)

Then, press play on the short English video lesson, taught by English language teacher Luis Chantre below. And if you prefer to read along, follow along in the video lesson summary below the video. Happy learning!

Countries and nationalities in English: A video lesson summary

Learning about countries and nationalities in English is important for a few reasons. Firstly, it's helpful for communication and travel. If you're going to an English-speaking country or working with people from different places, knowing where they're from is essential. Plus, learning about countries and nationalities in English can help you learn new words and understand the language better.

English has lots of words from other languages, including names of countries and nationalities. Learning these words can help you see where English comes from and how it's changed over time.

Before we start, here are some important tips for this lesson. When the instructor says "repeat," try to say the same thing. If it doesn't sound right, rewind the video and try again. Also, when Luis, the English teacher says "Now you go" or "It's your turn," it’s your turn to respond. So, get ready to join in!

Practice, repeat, try again, and compare.

Nationalities in English

In English, we usually add the suffix "ian" to the country name to indicate nationality. For example, if you are from Brazil, in English you are Brazilian. If you are from Argentina, in English you are Argentinian.

Let's practice:

• I am Brazilian.
• Messi is Argentinian.

Exceptions to the rule

However, there are some exceptions. For example, if you are from Mexico, in English you say Mexican, not Mexico-ian. And if you are from Japan, in English you say Japanese, (not Japanian).

Let's try this:

• Chavis is Mexican.
• Tomoko is Japanese.

Country names in English

Now let's learn some country names in English:

• Brazil
• Germany
• Russia

Let's practice:

• Carnaval is from Brazil.
• Vodka is from Russia.
• Berlin is in Germany.

Using articles with country names

Some country names have articles before them in English. For example, Statue of Liberty in the United States of America or people call it USA. Another example is The United Kingdom or people call it UK or Great Britain and The Netherlands.

Let's use them in some sentences:

• Obama is from The United States of America.
• Will Smith is from The United States of America.
• Prince Charles is from The United Kingdom.
• Diana was from The United Kingdom.

Other countries have no articles such as Brazil, Russia, China, Italy, and France.

Try repeating these three countries:

• France
• Italy
• China

Capitalize country names and nationalities in English

Remember to use capital letters for the names of countries and nationalities when writing in English.

Finally, if you have any more questions, feel free to leave them in the comments on our YouTube channel. Have a great day!