Lesson 3 — Introduce Your Country and Nationality in Spanish

Learn how to introduce your country and nationality in Spanish, say where you live and name the languages you speak. Listen, repeat and combine the expressions so that you can give clear personal information in a real conversation.

OPTIONAL — EXPLORE ONLY IF YOU WANT BASIC GRAMMAR Applied to today’s lesson

Talk About Your Country, City and Languages

Listen to each phrase. Then repeat it three times: slowly first, and again at a natural speed.

1. I am from the Philippines

Meaning: I am from the Philippines.

Use Soy de… to say which country or place you come from.

Examples:

Soy de Filipinas.
Soy de Perú.
Soy de Inglaterra.

The name of the country comes after de.

2. I am Filipino

Meaning: I am Filipino.

Use this phrase to say your nationality.

A man says:

A woman says:

The final letter changes because the adjective describes the person speaking.

You do not need to say yo before soy. The phrase Soy filipina is already complete.

3. I live in Madrid

Meaning: I live in Madrid.

Use Vivo en… followed by the city or place where you currently live.

Examples:

Vivo en Madrid.
Vivo en Barcelona.
Vivo en España.

Use en before the place.

Your country of origin and the place where you live may be different:

For now, concentrate on the shorter phrase:

4. I speak Tagalog, Cebuano and English

Meaning: I speak Tagalog, Cebuano and English.

Use Hablo… to say which languages you speak.

In Spanish, the names of languages normally begin with a lowercase letter:

tagalo
cebuano
inglés

Spanish usually uses y for “and”, but it changes to e before a word beginning with the sound i.

That is why we say:

tagalo, cebuano e inglés

Not:

tagalo, cebuano y inglés

You only need to remember the complete phrase for now.

5. I am learning Spanish

Meaning: I am learning Spanish.

Use this phrase to explain that you are still learning.

It is especially useful when you speak slowly, make a mistake or need the other person to be patient.

Example:

Hablo tagalo, cebuano e inglés. Estoy aprendiendo español.

The word español is normally written with a lowercase letter.

6. Where are you from?

Meaning: Where are you from?

Use this question when speaking informally to one person.

It is suitable for a friend, a colleague, another student or someone in a relaxed social situation.

Example:

—¿De dónde eres?
—Soy de Filipinas.

The answer normally uses Soy de…, not only the name of the country.

7. Where do you live?

Meaning: Where do you live?

Use this question when speaking formally or respectfully.

It can be useful when speaking to:

• an older person;
• an employer;
• a receptionist;
• a customer;
• someone you do not know.

Example:

—¿Dónde vive usted?
—Vivo en Madrid.

In everyday conversation, the question may also appear without usted:

Both forms are formal. Including usted makes the person being addressed completely clear.

Pronounce the F, P and B Sounds

These sounds appear in today’s essential expressions. Listen carefully and keep each sound short and clear.

The F Sound

To pronounce f, lightly touch your lower lip with your upper teeth and let the air pass.

Repeat slowly, then at a natural speed. Do not add an extra vowel before the first sound.

The P Sound

The Spanish p is clear and usually has less released air than the English p.

Keep the sound short. Avoid producing a strong puff of air.

The B Sound

Spanish b and v normally represent the same sound. At the beginning of a phrase, the sound is firm; between vowels, it is often softer.

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de pronunciación: «Vivo — hablo». Borrar esta indicación.]

You do not need to force the difference. Concentrate on speaking clearly.

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de pronunciación de la frase completa: «Soy de Filipinas. Soy filipina y vivo en Madrid.» Borrar esta indicación.]

Repeat the complete sentence slowly once. Then say it again with a natural rhythm.

Practise Your Country, Nationality, City and Languages

Complete the short activity below. You can retry it if you need more practice.

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar aquí un bloque Tiwala Quiz e importar el archivo JSON entregado. El JSON no contiene título ni introducción porque este H2 y este párrafo ya cumplen esa función. Borrar esta indicación.]

Listen to a Short Dialogue About Personal Information

Imagine that you are meeting a new colleague in Spain.

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar aquí el AUDIO COMPLETO del diálogo. Texto visible sugerido del reproductor: «Listen to the complete dialogue». Borrar esta indicación.]

First, listen without reading. Try to identify the country, city and languages. Then listen again while reading. Finally, cover Speaker 2’s lines and respond aloud.

Speaker 1:

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de esta intervención: «Hola. ¿De dónde eres?» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 2:

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de esta intervención: «Soy de Filipinas. Soy filipina.» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 1:

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de esta intervención: «¿Dónde vive usted?» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 2:

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de esta intervención: «Vivo en Madrid.» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 1:

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de esta intervención: «¿Habla español?» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 2:

[PARA WASHINGTON — Insertar audio de esta intervención: «Estoy aprendiendo español. Hablo tagalo, cebuano e inglés.» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 1:

[PARA WASHINGTON — REUTILIZAR audio del Día 2. Insertar audio de esta intervención: «Mucho gusto.» Borrar esta indicación.]

Speaker 2:

[PARA WASHINGTON — REUTILIZAR audio del Día 2. Insertar audio de esta intervención: «Mucho gusto.» Borrar esta indicación.]

Check Your Understanding

Answer these questions before opening the solutions.

1. Where is Speaker 2 from?
2. Where does Speaker 2 live?
3. Which languages does Speaker 2 speak?
4. Is Speaker 2 already fluent in Spanish?

<details style=”margin: 16px 0 32px;”>
    <summary style=”cursor: pointer; color: #123d49; font-weight: 600;”>
        Show the answers
    </summary>

    <div style=”margin-top: 16px;”>
        <ol>
            <li>Speaker 2 is from the Philippines.</li>
            <li>Speaker 2 lives in Madrid.</li>
            <li>Speaker 2 speaks Tagalog, Cebuano and English.</li>
            <li>No. Speaker 2 says: <strong>Estoy aprendiendo español.</strong></li>
        </ol>
    </div>
</details>

Play the dialogue once more. This time, replace the country, nationality, city and languages with your own information.

Introduce Your Country and Nationality in Spanish in Real Life

Situation 1 — Meet a New Colleague

A new colleague asks where you are from. Say your country and nationality, then add the city where you live.

Respond aloud before opening the possible response.

<details style=”margin: 16px 0 32px;”>
    <summary style=”cursor: pointer; color: #123d49; font-weight: 600;”>
        Show a possible response
    </summary>

    <div style=”margin-top: 16px;”>
        <p><strong>Soy de Filipinas. Soy filipina y vivo en Madrid.</strong></p>
    </div>
</details>

Situation 2 — Give More Information at a First Meeting

Someone asks where you live. Answer with your city, name the languages you speak and explain that you are learning Spanish. Use your own information if possible.

Respond without looking back at the phrase list.

<details style=”margin: 16px 0 32px;”>
    <summary style=”cursor: pointer; color: #123d49; font-weight: 600;”>
        Show a possible response
    </summary>

    <div style=”margin-top: 16px;”>
        <p><strong>Vivo en Madrid. Hablo tagalo, cebuano e inglés. Estoy aprendiendo español.</strong></p>
    </div>
</details>

Say the response once while reading. Then close the possible response and say it again without looking.

Write a Short Personal Profile

Write four short sentences that you could use in a course registration form or a message to a new classmate.

Country: Soy de ______________________________.

Nationality: Soy ______________________________.

City: Vivo en ______________________________.

Languages: Hablo ______________________________. Estoy aprendiendo español.

Read your personal profile aloud when you finish.

Final Speaking Challenge

Complete this final situation without looking back at the lesson.

You meet someone at a community centre in Spain. Give a short personal introduction that includes:

1. Your country.
2. Your nationality.
3. The city where you live.
4. The languages you speak.
5. The fact that you are learning Spanish.

<details style=”margin: 16px 0 32px;”>
    <summary style=”cursor: pointer; color: #123d49; font-weight: 600;”>
        Show a possible response
    </summary>

    <div style=”margin-top: 16px;”>
        <p><strong>Soy de Filipinas. Soy filipina y vivo en Madrid. Hablo tagalo, cebuano e inglés. Estoy aprendiendo español.</strong></p>
    </div>
</details>

If you can introduce your country and nationality in Spanish, add your city and name your languages without reading, you have achieved today’s practical goal.

Basic Grammar — Applied to This Lesson

This section is optional. You can complete today’s lesson without studying it.

Soy and eres for Origin and Nationality

Use soy when talking about yourself:

• Soy de Filipinas.
• Soy filipino / filipina.

Use eres when asking another person informally where they are from:

• ¿De dónde eres?

Spanish normally does not need yo before soy or tú before eres because the verb already identifies the person.

Vivo, hablo and vive

Use vivo to say where you live and hablo to say which languages you speak:

• Vivo en Madrid.
• Hablo tagalo, cebuano e inglés.

Both forms end in -o because you are talking about yourself.

In the respectful question, the form changes:

• ¿Dónde vive usted?

The answer returns to the form used for yourself:

• Vivo en Madrid.

You do not need to memorise complete verb tables today. Remember the expressions as useful patterns.

De for Origin and En for Location

Use de when saying where you are from:

• Soy de Filipinas.

Use en when saying where you live:

• Vivo en Madrid.

Compare the two ideas:

• Soy de Filipinas, pero vivo en Madrid.

Country and city names begin with a capital letter, but nationalities and language names normally begin with a lowercase letter in Spanish: Filipinas, Madrid, filipina, tagalo, cebuano, inglés and español.

For more information, see the Real Academia Española’s guidance on lowercase letters for nationalities and languages.

[PARA WASHINGTON — Después de la gramática, insertar Tiwala Navigation Cards: Previous Lesson 2, Stage Index Stage 1 y Next Lesson 4. No añadir más contenido educativo después de las tarjetas. Borrar esta indicación.]