How are nationalities written in English? Names of countries, languages ​​and nationalities in English

[ɔs"treɪlɪə] (Commonwealth of Australia) – Australia

Other words:

country- a country; nation- state, nation, country; land– country (region), state

Abkhazia– Abkhazia; Armenia– Armenia; Azerbaijan– Azerbaijan; Belarus– Belarus; Estonia– Estonia; Georgia– Georgia; Kazakhstan- Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan– Kyrgyzstan; Latvia– Latvia; Lithuania– Lithuania; Moldova– Moldova; South Ossetia- South Ossetia; Tajikistan– Tajikistan; Transdniestria– Transnistria; Turkmenistan– Turkmenistan; Ukraine- Ukraine; Uzbekistan– Uzbekistan

the USSR- THE USSR ( Soviet Union); CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)– CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States); SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization)– SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization); UN (United Nations)– UN (United Nations); NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)– NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization); European Union- European Union

2 Names of nationalities on English language(voiced words, transcriptions)

– Brazilian
["rʌʃ(ə)n] – Russian; Russian
["brɪtɪʃ] – British
[ɪ"tælɪən] – Italian
["spænɪʃ] – Spanish
[ˌʤæp(ə)"niːz] – Japanese
["ʧaɪ"niːz] – Chinese
["ʤɜːmən] – German
– French
["meksɪk(ə)n] – Mexican
[ɔs"treɪlɪən] – Australian
[ə"merɪkən] – American

Other words:

nationality– citizenship, nationality; nationality; citizenship– citizenship

Abkhazian– Abkhazian; Armenian– Armenian; Azerbaijani(an)– Azerbaijani; Byelorussian– Belarusian; Estonian– Estonian; Georgian– Georgian; Kazakh– Kazakh; Kirghiz– Kyrgyz; Latvian– Latvian; Lithuanian– Lithuanian; Moldavian– Moldovan; Ossetian– Ossetian; Tajik– Tajik; Transdniestrian– Transnistrian; Turkman– Turkmens; Ukrainian– Ukrainian; Uzbek– Uzbek

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3 Video with the names of some countries in English

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4 Song with names of states in English

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5 Names in English of 195 countries of the world and their capitals

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6 Features of the use of words denoting names of countries and nationalities in English

1. The names of some countries are used with the definite article: The Soviet Union- Soviet Union ( the USSR– USSR), the United States- United States ( the USA– USA), The Netherlands– The Netherlands (Holland).
The article, as a rule, is not used before names of countries consisting of one proper name ( Burma, Russia) or from a proper name with a definition.

2. Noun nationality applies only to people: What is your nationality?- What is your nationality?
In relation to items manufactured in a country or originating from a country, the expressions used are: to come from, be made in: This car is made in Sweden / comes from Sweden.

3. To indicate the nationality of people or things, the following can be used: a) adjective – Italian music, French wine. She is Spanish (French, English); b) noun – an American, a Pole, a Dutchman.
All names of nationalities are written with a capital letter (nouns and adjectives): an American– American; the English- English; a French book- French book; Japanese towns- Japanese cities.

4. The plural form of the word denoting a nationality, in combination with the definite article, denotes all representatives of this nationality: the Americans; the Finns, the Germans, the Poles, the Swedes, the Albanians and etc.
To designate individual members of a nation, the word may be added to the name of nationalities man(in male units), woman(feminine singular) and men, women in plural: an Englishman- Englishman, an Englishwoman- Englishwoman, two Englishmen- two Englishmen; a Frenchman– French, a Frenchwoman– French, two French women- two French women, etc.

5. Names of nationalities ending in -sh, -ch, -ss, -se don't accept endings -s in plural: the English- English; the French- French people; the Dutch– Dutch; the Swiss- Swiss; the Chinse– Chinese; the Japanese- Japanese.
Nationality names ending in -se, have the same form in singular and plural: Chinese– Chinese, two Chinese- two Chinese, Swiss– Swiss, two Swiss- two Swiss.

6. Word many used only with nouns denoting nationality that have a plural form: many Poles, many Americans.

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7 Countries and nationalities in English idioms

Russian roulette– Russian roulette (bet on a shot to the temple from a pistol, in which out of six charges five are blanks)
Russian boots– high boots (usually women’s)
White Russian- source Russian white emigrant; White Guard; mouth 1) Belarusian; 2) Belarusian language
Russian bast- bast, bast, bast
Russian doll– matryoshka
Russian hockey– Russian hockey; Hockey with a ball
Russian ball game– (Russian) lapta
Russian salad- Olivier salad
Russian egg– hard-boiled egg with mayonnaise
Russian dressing– Russian seasoning, seasoning for mayonnaise salad (with pickles, etc.)
Russian bear– “Russian Bear”, a cocktail of vodka, cocoa liqueur and cream
Russian tea– tea with lemon (served in glasses)

French– a rude obscene word or expression (primarily in the phrase: excuse (pardon) my French- sorry for the expression)
French leave– leaving without goodbye, unnoticed leaving; sudden departure, departure; to take French leave- leave without saying goodbye, leave in English
to assist in the French sense– iron. attend without taking part
French walk- Amer. slang. expulsion from the city; kicking out of a bar, saloon
French postcard- Amer. obscene postcard
French kiss- French Kiss
French door– glazed swing door
French roof– mansard roof
French telephone– handset with dialer
French curve- pattern
French fried potatoes– French fries, chips; syn. French fried(s), French fries(American) - potato chips (fried in oil)
French- kulin. cut into thin strips
French bean- beans
French plum- prunes
gin and french– a cocktail whose ingredients are gin and dry vermouth

German silver– cupronickel
brother-german– legal brother
German Ocean– mouth North Sea
German meats– rubella
German badgerdog– dachshund
German shepherd/German sheep dog- German Shepherd

Italian roof– sloping roof
Italian operation– Italian method of plastic surgery (nose)
Italian cloth– lining material with satin face (Italian manufacture)
Italian warehousemen– bargaining; British "Italian Storekeepers" (a trading firm specializing in the trade of imported goods; this is how these companies were historically called in England, since the staff was predominantly Italian)

Chinese fire drill- Amer. turmoil, complete chaos
Chinese tobacco– slang. opium
Chinese accounting- false accounting
Chinese tumbler– “Chinese acrobat”, tumbler toy
Chinese puzzle– Chinese puzzle (wooden or metal) puzzle; difficult problem to solve; Chinese letter
Chinese boxes– Chinese boxes (stacked one inside the other)
Chinese copy– “Chinese copy”, an exact reproduction of an item with all its advantages and disadvantages
Chinese Wall– Great Wall of China, Chinese wall, insurmountable barrier
overseas Chinese- a Chinese person living outside his homeland
Chinese red– orange-red color
Chinese gelatin– agar-agar
Chinese– British decomposition Chinese food dish; Chinese restaurant

Baboo English– neglected pompous English speech
Rock English– Gibraltar jargon (a mixture of English, Spanish and Arabic)
Wardour Street English- English speech, equipped with archaisms (after the name of a London street - the center of antique shops)
King's English– literary English, standard English
body English– American; decomposition gesticulation of spectators or players (during a sports game)
to murder the King's English- distort the English language
English disease– rare spleen, blues
English sonnet- Amer. Shakespearean sonnet (three quatrains and a final couplet)

American plan– full board (at the hotel)
ugly American– “ugly American”; American businessman abroad; American diplomat abroad; in Asia (based on the title of the book by Burdick and Leberer); dip. "ugly American" (an American diplomat or businessman abroad who discredits foreign policy USA with its arrogance, sense of false pride and lack of mutual understanding with the local population)
un-American- commonly foreign to American customs or concepts; Amer. anti-American
all American– iron. 100% American, American from head to toe
white bread American- ordinary American
American organ– harmonium

Mexican stand(-)off– American; decomposition a hopeless situation, a deadlock situation (when none of the conflicting parties can gain the upper hand, but no one is ready to compromise, thereby being afraid to admit defeat)
Mexican raise/Mexican promotion– slang. promotion or change in status for the better without a salary increase
Mexican breakfast– slang. breakfast, which is usually limited to a cigarette and a glass of water (because there is no money, due to a hangover or too much fatigue)
Mexican athlete– slang. sports team candidate; unlucky player
Mexican rank- military slang temporary rank
Mexican– Australian; slang. Queenslanders refer to residents of New South Wales and Victoria as Mexicans (these states are further south than Victoria)

Australian ballot– secret ballot
Australian salute– Australian; decomposition “Australian greeting” (a greeting with a casual gesture of a raised hand, as if shooing away flies
Australian bear– marsupial bear (koala)

Japanese auction- bargaining Japanese auction (a type of auction in which the auctioneer announces a starting price and begins to gradually raise it, and buyers, in order to remain participants in the auction, must confirm their further participation by sending bids at each new price level)

Spanish fly- Spanish fly
Spanish heel– Spanish (high) heel
Spanish omelette– Spanish omelette (with potatoes or onions and tomatoes)
the Spanish Main- source "Spanish mainland" (America in the Caribbean)

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8 Exercises and games on the topic: countries and nationalities in English (flash)

National stereotypes through the prism of humor

Paradise is where cooks are French, mechanics are German, policemen are British, lovers are Italian and it is all organized by the Swiss.
Heaven is where the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the police are English, the lovers are Italian, and everything is organized by the Swiss.
Hell is where cooks are British, policemen are German, lovers are the Swiss, mechanics are French, and it is all organized by Italians.
Hell is where the cooks are English, the police are German, the lovers are Swiss, the mechanics are French, and everything is organized by Italians.”

"Three proofs that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into his father's business.
2. He lived at home until the age of 33.
3. He was sure that his mother was a virgin, and his mother was sure that he was God.
Three proofs that Jesus Christ was a Jew:
He continued his father's business.
He lived at home until he was 33 years old.
He was convinced that his mother was a virgin, and his mother was convinced that he was God.
Three proofs that Jesus was Irish:
1. He never got married.
2. He never had a steady job.
3. His last request was for a drink.
Three proofs that Jesus was Irish:
He never married.
He never had a regular job.
His last wish was to drink.
Three proofs that Jesus was Italian:
1. He talked with his hands.
2. He took wine with every meal.
3. He worked in the building trade.
Three proofs that Jesus was Italian:
He spoke using gestures.
He drank wine at every meal.
He was engaged in carpentry.
Three proofs that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother.
2. He had no permanent address.
3. Nobody would hire him.
Three proofs that Jesus was black:
He called everyone brothers.
He had no permanent residence.
Nobody hired him.
Three proofs that Jesus was Puerto Rican:
1. His first name was Jesus.
2. He was always in trouble with the law.
3. His mother didn't know who his real father was.
Three proofs that Jesus was Puerto Rican:
His name was Jesus.
He was always in trouble with the law.
His mother did not know who his real father was.
Three proofs that Jesus was from California:
1. He never cut his hair.
2. He walked around barefoot.
3. “He invented a new religion.”
Three proofs that Jesus was from California:
He never cut his hair.
He always walked barefoot.
He founded a new religion.

From the book by S. G. Ter-Minasova “Language and Intercultural Communication”.
Exercises and games on the topic: countries of the world (in English)

Poems with country names in English

I had a little nut tree,
Nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg,
And a golden pear;
The King of Spain's daughter
Came to visit me,
And all for the sake
Of my little nut tree.

Her dress was made of crimson,
Jet black was her hair,
She asked me for my nut tree
And my golden pear.
I said, "So fair a princess
Never did I see
I"ll give you all the fruit
From my little nut tree."

There came an old woman from France
Who taught grown-up children to dance;
But they were so stiff,
She sent them home in a sniff,
This sprightly old woman from France.

I don't want to go to Mexico
No more, more, more.
There's a big fat policeman
At my door, door, door.
He grabbed me by the collar,
He made me pay a dollar,
I don't want to go to Mexico
No more, more, more.

History of immigration to the United States

After the discovery of America, tens of thousands of immigrants from England / England, France / France, Germany / Germany, Netherlands / the Netherlands, Spain / Spain and Portugal / Portugal hastened to the New World. Convicts were sent there to serve their sentences, and children kidnapped from the English slums were sold there. IN THE USA / the USA in the middle of the 19th century, participants in unsuccessful revolutionary battles arrived from Germany / Germany, Ireland / Ireland, Austria-Hungary / Austria-Hungary, France / France, Finland / Finland. A significant part of the American population were descendants of African slaves.
The first piece of legislation to specifically restrict immigration into the country was passed in 1875: people who had previously committed crimes were prohibited from moving to the United States. The first immigration law was passed in 1882. It provided for the establishment of control over the “quality” of immigrants, and also prohibited the entry of mentally ill and mentally underdeveloped people. This law also imposed a tax of 50 cents on each arriving immigrant. This amount later increased to $2, and then to $8. In fact, this tax still exists today, but is now considered a consular fee required for a visa. In 1882, ethnic Chinese were prohibited from moving to the United States. Only in 1943 this law was repealed. Ethnic Chinese now constitute one of the largest and most influential communities in the United States. In 1891, another law was passed, which added the sick, the poor and polygamists to the “black” list. The law also established a procedure for mandatory medical examination of newly arrived immigrants, which still exists today. (Since the 1990s, the United States has banned the entry of people with HIV and AIDS.) These measures reduced the level of immigration to the United States, but not for long.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, America was overwhelmed by a new wave of immigrants. This time, authorities refused entry into the country to epileptics, tuberculosis patients, the insane, beggars, anarchists and those with mental or physical disabilities that “may affect their ability to earn a living.” In 1917, the US put a barrier in front of the Indians / the Hindus, Burmese / the Burmese, Thais / the Thailanders, Malays / the Malayans, Arabs / the Arabs and Afghans / the Afghans. In 1924, a fundamentally new restriction was introduced. The US authorities provided citizens of each country with an immigration quota. The quota was determined based on the results of the next population census. In 1934 Philippines / the Philippines, formerly a colony of the United States, gained independence. Then for the Filipinos / the Filipinos (Pilipinos), previously considered Americans / the Americans, introduced restrictions on moving to the United States - no more than 50 people per year. With some changes, the quota system is still in effect today. Despite the fact that the economic crisis—the Great Depression of the 1930s—significantly reduced the flow of immigrants to the United States, with the outbreak of World War II, more than 1 million people from Europe moved to America in 1940 alone. In 1950, communists were banned from entering the United States.
However, the most important law that finally established the US immigration system was the Nationality and Immigration Act, passed in 1952. This law created a system of quotas, "categories of entry", fixed the reasons why an immigrant could be expelled from the country, and introduced stricter parameters for monitoring the "quality" of immigrants.
In 1962 (after the revolution in Cuba/ Cuba The United States for the first time established a policy of financial support for refugees - previously, all immigrants could rely only on themselves, their relatives and charitable organizations. Later, the United States began to accept refugees from Southeast Asia, China, and from the late 1970s - from the USSR / the USSR. In 1965, the US Congress created a "preference system" whose purpose was to attract skilled workers and professionals to the United States. The Immigration Law was passed. This law established the rules for resettlement in the United States.
In 1980, a special law on refugees was adopted, establishing rules for the admission of refugees. In 1990, the Nationality and Immigration Law underwent some changes. In 1994, US President Bill Clinton signed a law under which aliens who arrive in the United States without any documentation can be immediately removed from the country unless they apply for political asylum and/or prove that if they return to their home country, they face persecution on racial, religious, national, etc. grounds.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, immigration regulations and requirements became particularly strict. The duration of the tourist trip was reduced to 30 days. The rules for foreign students staying in the United States have become stricter. Law enforcement agencies were given the power to arrest people for violating immigration laws, something that had previously been the responsibility of US immigration authorities. However, the biggest change in the US immigration system was the elimination of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the integration of this structure into the new Department of Homeland Security.
Public opinion polls show that the 9/11 terrorist attacks also caused many Americans, even though one in 10 are first-generation immigrants, to reconsider their views on immigration. Currently, the majority of US residents are in favor of reducing immigration, and only 10–15% consider it necessary to increase it.

This lesson is devoted to the analysis of countries and nationalities in English. From the lesson you will learn: names of countries, ways of forming nationalities from the names of countries in English.

Popular memorization questions

Examples

What's your nationality? - I'm Mexican. What is your nationality? - I'm Mexican.

Do you speak Italian? - He is from Italy. He is Italian. Do you speak Italian? - He's from Italy. He's Italian.

Suffixes for forming adjectives from the names of countries

Italy – Italy Italian – Italian Italian - Italian

As you can see, the same word, derived from the name of a country, can be used in different ways. This adjective is the name of the language of this country and the name of the nationality.

Many people study these derivative words and simply use the name of the country (Japan food, Spain singer, and so on). The name of a country cannot be an adjective, nor can it describe the nationality or language of the country, so do not make such mistakes.

Please note that the name of the nationality and the language of the country do not always coincide. For example, in Brazil Brazil, although Brazilians live, they speak Portuguese Portugese. Also with Arab countries, where the nationality of the country does not coincide with the language.

Suffix -ian

Adjectives are formed using this suffix, regardless of what letter the name of the country ends with and where it is located. If the country name ends in -ia, then only -n is added:

Argentina Argentinian

Egypt Egyptian

Norway Norwegian

Ukraine Ukrainian

Brazil Brazilian

Russia Russian

Australia Australian

Indonesia Indonesian

Suffix -an

If the name of the country ends in -a, then only -n is added, if the name ends in another vowel, then -an is added:

Korea Korean

Venezuela Venezuelan

Chile Chilean

Mexico Mexican

Suffix -ese

This suffix is ​​mainly used with Asian countries, some African countries, European countries and South America:

China Chinese

Vietnam Vietnamese

Japan Japanese

Lebanon Lebanese

Sudan Sudanese

Taiwan Taiwanese

Portugal Portuguese

Suffix -ish

Some adjectives are formed using the suffix -ish:

Britain British

Scotland Scottish

Ireland Irish

Wales Welsh

Poland Polish

Turkey Turkish

Suffix -i

Almost all countries that are combined with this suffix are Islamic countries, or countries where Arabic is spoken.

Iraq Iraqi

Pakistan Pakistani

Thailand Thai

Kuwait Kuwaiti

Other suffixes

Other suffixes can also be called exceptions, since some of them are singular and are used to form one nationality.

France French

Greece Greek

Switzerland Swiss

The Netherlands Dutch

As mentioned earlier, many adjectives that can be formed using suffixes serve as names for languages ​​spoken in a particular country. In addition, these adjectives, when combined with nouns, describe something characteristic of that country:

French literature French literature

Japanese food Japanese food

Mexican traditions Mexican traditions

Egyptian culture Egyptian history

How to talk about nationalities in general in English?

1. The + ADJECTIVE

From the article about definite articles in English, you know that the article the can be combined with adjectives when the adjective denotes a group of people:

The Chinese are very traditional. The Chinese are very traditional.

The Americans like fast food. Americans love fast food.

Have you noticed that in the given examples the word Americans is used with the ending -s, while Сhinese is used without the ending? There are a few rules to remember about this:

1. If nationality-adjectives have endings –sh, –ch, –ss, –ese, -i then they do not have a plural form (no -s is added to them):

• the French - the French
• the Swiss - the Swiss
• the Japanese - the Japanese
• the Scottish - the Scots
• the Iraqi - Iraqis
• the Israeli - the Israelis

2. Adjectives ending in -an and some others have plural forms. These adjectives (unlike the above) can also act as nouns:

• the Ukrainians - Ukrainians
• the Brazilians - Brazilians
• the Greeks - the Greeks
• the Thais - residents of Thailand
Scotland - Scots

Spain – the Spaniards Spain - Spaniards

Turkey – the Turks Türkiye – the Turks

If you're talking about one person, then if this nationality has a noun, you can use it:

• an American - American
• an Italian - Italian
• a Pole - Pole
• a Turk - Turk
• a Spaniard - Spaniard
• a Briton - British
• a Swede - Swede

If there is no noun, or you want to clarify the gender of the person, then use the diagram: ADJECTIVE + MAN/ WOMAN/ BOY/ GIRL

• an English boy
• a Chinese woman
• a French man (can be written together: a Frenchman)
• an English man (can be written together: an Englishman)

There is a term in English demonym(from Greek demos- people and onym- Name). This term is intended to describe the people living in a certain area. These are the names of nationalities, ethnic groups, residents of a particular area or a particular city. All the above adjectives and nouns derived from the names of countries are demonyms. Demonyms are formed mainly by suffixation:

London – Londoner London - Londoner

Kiev – Kiev Kyiv - resident of Kyiv

Rome – Roman Rome - resident of Rome

As you can see, the topic “Countries and Nationalities in English” is not so difficult if you consider this issue carefully.

Forming nationality into an adjective or noun using the name of a country is not so easy in English. To write an adjective, use the ending -ese or -ish with a plural verb to denote all people of a nationality. The names of the adjectives on the list also match the name of the language spoken in a particular country, although this is not always the case.

Examples

• A country: I live in Japan.
• Adjective: He likes Japanese food.
• Origin: She is a Japanese person. = She is from Japan. = She is Japanese.
• Language: She speaks Japanese.
• Description of a group of people: Spaniards often drink wine. = Spanish people often drink wine.
• Description of a group of people: The Chinese enjoy fireworks. = Chinese people enjoy fireworks.

There are cases in which a nationality or parochial noun may have a negative connotation for some people for historical or political reasons. In this case, many people will not use this word, but will speak using a more neutral adjective + "people" or "people from" + the name of the country. These examples are marked with an asterisk. Alternative formulations that are least likely to cause offense are given in parentheses.

Geographical Region/Continent	Adjective	Noun
Africa	African	an African* (an African person, someone from Africa)
Asia	Asian	an Asian* (an Asian person, someone from Asia)
Europe	European	a European
Central America	Central American	a Central American
Middle East	Middle Eastern	a Middle Easterner
North Africa	North African	a North African
South America	South American	a South American
Southeast Asia	Southeast Asian	a Southeast Asian person

Country or region	Adjective	Noun
Afghanistan	Afghan	an Afghan
Algeria	Algerian	an Algerian
Angola	Angolan	an Angolan
Argentina	Argentina	an Argentina
Austria	Austrian	an Austrian
Australia	Australian	an Australian
Bangladesh	Bangladeshi	a Bangladeshi
Belarus	Belarusian	a Belarusian
Belgium	Belgian	a Belgian
Bolivia	Bolivian	a Bolivian
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnian/Herzegovinian	a Bosnian/a Herzegovinian
Brazil	Brazilian	a Brazilian
Britain	British	a Briton (informally: a Brit)
Bulgaria	Bulgarian	a Bulgarian
Cambodia	Cambodian	a Cambodian
Cameroon	Cameroonian	a Cameroonian
Canada	Canadian	a Canadian
Central African Republic	Central African	a Central African
Chad	Chadian	a Chadian
China	Chinese	a Chinese person
Colombia	Colombian	a Colombian
Costa Rica	Costa Rican	a Costa Rican
Croatia	Croatian	a Croat
the Czech Republic	Czech	a Czech person
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Congolese	a Congolese person (note: also applies to people from the Republic of the Congo)
Denmark	Danish	a Dane
Ecuador	Ecuadorian	an Ecuadorian
Egypt	Egyptian	an Egyptian
El Salvador	Salvadoran	a Salvadoran (also spelled Salvadorian & Salvadorean)
England	English	an Englishman/Englishwoman
Estonia	Estonian	an Estonian
Ethiopia	Ethiopian	an Ethiopian
Finland	Finnish	a Finn
France	French	a Frenchman/Frenchwoman
Germany	German	a German
Ghana	Ghanaian	a Ghanaian
Greece	Greek	a Greek
Guatemala	Guatemalan	a Guatemalan
Holland	Dutch	a Dutchman/Dutchwoman
Honduras	Honduran	a Honduran
Hungary	Hungarian	a Hungarian
Iceland	Icelandic	an Icelander
India	Indian	an Indian
Indonesia	Indonesian	an Indonesian
Iran	Iranian	an Iranian
Iraq	Iraqi	an Iraqi
Ireland	Irish	an Irishman/Irishwoman
Israel	Israeli	an Israeli
Italy	Italian	an Italian
Ivory Coast	Ivorian	an Ivorian
Jamaica	Jamaican	a Jamaican
Japan	Japanese	a Japanese person
Jordan	Jordanian	a Jordanian
Kazakhstan	Kazakh	a Kazakhstani (used as a noun, "a Kazakh" refers to an ethnic group, not a nationality)
Kenya	Kenyan	a Kenyan
Laos	Lao	a Laotian (used as a noun, "a Lao" refers to an ethnic group, not a nationality)
Latvia	Latvian	a Latvian
Libya	Libyan	a Libyan
Lithuania	Lithuanian	a Lithuanian
Madagascar	Malagasy	a Malagasy
Malaysia	Malaysian	a Malaysian
Mali	Malian	a Malian
Mauritania	Mauritanian	a Mauritanian
Mexico	Mexican	a Mexican* (may be offensive in the US. Use "someone from Mexico" instead.)
Morocco	Moroccan	a Moroccan
Namibia	Namibian	a Namibian
New Zealand	New Zealand	a New Zealander
Nicaragua	Nicaraguan	a Nicaraguan
Nigeria	Nigeria	a Nigeria
Nigeria	Nigerian	a Nigerian
Norway	Norwegian	a Norwegian
Oman	Omani	an Omani
Pakistan	Pakistani	a Pakistani* (may sound offensive in England. Use "someone from Pakistan" instead.)
Panama	Panamanian	a Panamanian
Paraguay	Paraguayan	a Paraguayan
Peru	Peruvian	a Peruvian
The Philippines	Philippines	a Filipino* (someone from the Philippines)
Poland	Polish	a Pole* (someone from Poland, a person from Poland)
Portugal	Portuguese	a Portuguese person
Republic of the Congo	Congolese	a Congolese person (note: this also applies to people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Romania	Romanian	a Romanian
Russia	Russian	a Russian
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabian	a Saudi, a Saudi Arabian
Scotland	Scottish	a Scot
Senegal	Senegalese	a Senegalese person
Serbia	Serbian	a Serbian (used as a noun, "a Serb" refers to an ethnic group, not a nationality
Singapore	Singaporean	a Singaporean
Slovakia	Slovak	a Slovak
Somalia	Somalian	a Somalian
South Africa	South African	a South African
Spain	Spanish	a Spaniard* (Spaniard, someone from Spain)
Sudan	Sudanese	a Sudanese person
Sweden	Swedish	a Swede
Switzerland	Swiss	a Swiss person
Syria	Syrian	a Syrian
Thailand	Thai	a Thai person
Tunisia	Tunisian	a Tunisian
Turkey	Turkish	a Turk
Turkmenistan	Turkmen	a Turkmen / the Turkmens
Ukraine	Ukrainian	a Ukrainian
The United Arab Emirates	Emirati	an Emirati
The United States	American	an American
Uruguay	Uruguayan	a Uruguayan
Vietnam	Vietnamese	a Vietnamese person
Wales	Welsh	a Welshman/Welshwoman
Zambia	Zambian	a Zambian
Zimbabwe	Zimbabwean	a Zimbabwean

Cities can also become adjectives and nouns, although these are extremely unusual and the nominal form will not always agree (there may be more than one). Some examples of city names are given below.

). We will not indicate the names of all countries in our article, but will focus only on those that are well-known - our closest neighbors and business partners. We will also look at what nationalities are called in English, what languages ​​and currencies are used in each country. A convenient table of countries, nationalities, currencies in English and a test will be a nice bonus at the end of the article.

Nationalities and countries of the world in English

First of all, we need to understand the meaning of words such as “country” ( a country) and "state" ( a state). In many cases these concepts mean the same thing, but not always. When we use the word “country,” we are talking about people united by territory, language, traditions, and culture. And “state” implies a community of people united by political power and territory. In general, both concepts are widely used in English, so look at the context when you should say a state, and when a country.

Every state has a nationality ( a nationality). Now nationality is synonymous with citizenship ( citizenship). Most countries have an official language ( an official language) and religion ( religion), but not everywhere. For example, at the federal level, the United States has no official language or religion. Americans are free to choose in what language to fill out documents and what religion to profess. They are very proud of this fact and see the absence of an official language as an example of democracy in its purest form - everyone is free to do what they want.

Let's look at the table of countries, nationalities and currencies in English. We also indicated the language spoken in these states.

Flag	A country	Nationality	Official language	Currency
	Argentina Argentina	Argentina Argentinian	Spanish Spanish	Argentina peso Argentine peso
	Australia	Australian	English English	Australian dollar Australian dollar
	Brazil	Brazilian	Portuguese Portuguese	Brazilian real brazilian real
	China China	Chinese Chinese	Chinese Chinese	Chinese yuan CNY
	Egypt Egypt	Egyptian Egyptian	Arabic Arab	Egyptian pound Egyptian pound
	England	English Englishman	English English	Pound sterling pounds
	Estonia	Estonian	Estonian	Euro Euro
	France	French Frenchman	French French	Euro Euro
	Germany	German German	German German	Euro Euro
	Ireland	Irish Irishman	English English Irish Gaelic Gaelic Irish	Euro Euro
	Israel	Israeli	Hebrew Hebrew	Israeli new shekel Israeli new shekel
	Italy Italy	Italian Italian	Italian Italian	Euro Euro
	Japan Japan	Japanese Japanese	Japanese Japanese	Japanese yen Japanese yen
	Latvia	Latvian	Latvian	Euro Euro
	Lithuania	Lithuanian	Lithuanian	Euro Euro
	Mexico	Mexican Mexican	Spanish Spanish	Mexican peso mexican peso
	New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealander New Zealander	English English	New Zealand dollar New Zealand dollar
	Poland	Pole Pole	Polish Polish	Polish zloty Polish zloty
	Portugal	Portuguese Portuguese	Portuguese Portuguese	Euro Euro
	Romania	Romanian	Romanian	Romanian leu Romanian leu
	Russia	Russian	Russian	Russian ruble Russian ruble
	Scotland	Scottish Scotsman	English English Scottish Scottish	Pound sterling pounds
	Spain Spain	Spanish Hispanic	Spanish Spanish	Euro Euro
	Switzerland	Swiss Swiss	German German French French Italian Italian Romansh Romansh (Swiss Romansh)	Swiss franc Swiss frank
	Thailand	Thai Thai	Thai Thai	Thai Baht Thai baht
	The Czech Republic Czech Republic	Czech Czech	Czech Czech	Czech koruna Czech crown
	The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	British British	English English	Euro Euro
	The United States of America USA	American American	English English	United States dollar U.S. dollar
	Türkiye	Turk Turk	Turkish Turkish	Turkish lira Turkish lira
	Ukraine	Ukrainian Ukrainian	Ukrainian Ukrainian	Ukrainian hryvnia Ukrainian hryvnia

Articles with names of states

Traditionally, no article is placed before the names of countries and cities: China, Spain. But if the name consists of several words, then the article is needed: the Czech Republic, the United States of America. You need to remember what we say , BUT the Russian Federation. Watch the video from the teacher Alex, which tells you when to use an article before country names:

Features of the use of nationalities in English

You may have noticed that the name of the language and nationality are often the same. How to understand what the meaning of a word is English, for example, did you mean? Everything will be clear in context, when this word is used in conjunction with other words.

There is an interesting expression in English that is based on stereotypes about nationalities ( national stereotypes):

Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and it is all organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and it is all organized by the Italians. “Paradise is a place where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian, and the Swiss run everything.” Hell is a place where the Germans are the police, the British are the cooks, the French are the mechanics, the Swiss are the lovers, and it's all run by the Italians.

This phrase should not be taken seriously, although there is a grain of humor in every joke :-) Please note that the names of nationalities in English are always written with a capital letter. Let’s also look at how to correctly use articles with nationalities.

1. Words English, Chinese, Spanish are essentially adjectives. To make a plural noun from an adjective, just add an article the before the word itself. This rule works with nationalities that end in - ch, -sh, -ese And - ss.
   

   The English are famous for being polite. – English are known for being polite.

   The Chinese are good workers. – Chinese- good workers.

   The French make wonderful cheese. – French people They make great cheese.

   And if from nationalities - ch, -sh, -ese And - ss you need to make it singular, then add words boy, man, woman, person:

   A Japanese woman has won a million dollar in lottery. – Japanese won a million dollars in the lottery.

   I am an Englishman in New York. - I Englishman in NYC.

   By the way, options English man And Englishman are correct, you can write both together and separately. It’s a pity that this is not possible with other nationalities.

2. But other nationalities - , Turk– are nouns. To form a plural noun, we add the ending to the word - s:
   

   We are not, we are. - We are not Brazilians, We Russians.

   Turks have a rich history. – U Turk rich story.

And if we are talking about one person, a representative of this nationality, then we simply take the word itself.

He is. - He is Russian.

My friend is in love with that. – My friend is in love with that Brazilian.

10 interesting facts about countries and nationalities

1. Do you know that countries America does not exist? In Russian we can say “He is from America”, nevertheless the country is called the United States of America or the U.S. And don't forget about the article. A America- This is part of the world.
2. The smallest state in the world is the Vatican ( Vatican).
3. The oldest independent state is Egypt. The first dynasty of Egyptian rulers appeared around 3100 BC.
4. The largest number of lakes is in Canada ( Canada). There are about 3 million lakes in the country, in fact 9% of Canada's territory is fresh water, and about 60% of all the world's lakes are in Canada.
5. Mongolia ( Mongolia) is the country with the smallest population density. On average, 1 person lives per 1 km2. An excellent choice for those who are tired of noisy and annoying neighbors: here you won’t even see them!
6. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) is called a country without rivers. Most fresh water comes from special desalination plants or from underground reservoirs.
7. The country where the largest number of languages ​​are used in daily communication is Papua New Guinea ( the Independent State of Papua New Guinea). Although official language The language of the state is English, only 1-2% of the population speaks it. Linguists estimate that, with a population of 7 million, Papuans speak more than 800 languages.
8. Libya ( Libya) is the most “desert” country in the world. Almost 99% of the territory is covered by arid desert. Some regions of Libya have not seen even a drop of rain for decades.
9. Russia produces the largest amount of air on Earth. Siberia ( Siberia) is home to 25% of the world's forests. And the area of ​​forests in Russia is even larger than the area of ​​the United States.
10. Near Antarctica ( Antarctica) has its own telephone code (+672). We need to call the penguins somehow!

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Test

Countries and nationalities in English

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Even in the phrase " He is Russian" word Russian- also a noun, although it looks like an adjective. In English, nationalities are often denoted by adjectives.

EltonJohnisEnglish – Elton John – Englishman

Pablio Picasso was Spanish / a Spaniard - PabloPicassowasSpaniard

Adjective endings

Countries on – ia take an adjective ending – n .

Russia — Russian

Nationalities on – ian :

Belgian, Brazilian, Canadian, Egyptian, Ghanaian, Hungarian, Iranian, Italian, Jordanian, Norwegian, Palestinian, Peruvian, Ukrainian.

Nationalities on –(e)an :

American, Angolan, Chilean, Costa Rican, Cuban, German, Kenyan, Korean, Libyan, Mexican, Moroccan, Paraguayan, Singaporean, South African, Sri Lankan, Ugandan, Uruguayan, Venezuelan, Zairean, Zimbabwean

Nationalities on – ish :

British, Danish, English, Finnish, Irish, Polish, Scottish, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Nationalities on –ese :

Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, Maltese, Nepalese, Portuguese, Senegalese, Sudanese, Surinamese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese

Nationalities on – i :

Bangladeshi,Bengali,Iraqi,IsraeliKuwait,Omani,Pakistani,Panjabi/Punjabi,Qatari,saudi,Yemeni

Special exceptions – Afghan/Afghani, Argentine/Argentinian/Argentinean, Czech, Cypriot, Dutch, Philippine, Greek, Hindu, Mozambican/Mozambiquan/Mozambiquean, Pashto/Pushto/Pushtu, Swiss, Thai, Welsh.

Nationality nouns

Adjectives and nouns of nationalities in -an match up:

American - American =anAmerican - American

Nouns of other nationalities differ from adjectives.

Arabian – an Arab

British – a Brit(on)/Britisher

Danish - a Dane

Dutch – a Dutchman/Dutchwoman(Dutchman)

English - an Englishman/Englishwoman

Finnish - a Finn

French - a Frenchman/Frenchwoman

Irish – an Irishman/Irishwoman

Polish - a Pole

Philippine – a Filipino

Scottish – a Scot/Scotsman/Scotswoman

Spanish - a Spaniard

Swedish – a Swede

Turkish – a Turk

Welsh – a Welshman/Welshwoman

Substantivizationnationalities

When generalizing nationality to – i/an become nouns. Therefore, they can and should end with –s , and the article the serves here only to enhance collection.

Americanslove hamburgers - Americanslovehamburgers

Other collective nationalities, on the contrary, require the and exclude — s.

The Englishthink the sense of humor is very important – Englishconsider, WhatfeelinghumorVeryimportant

The Irishsing very well – IrishVeryFinesing

English Joke

A woman in the mountains of Tennessee was seated in the doorway of the cabin, busily eating some pig’s feet. A neighbor hurried up to tell of how her husband had become engaged in a saloon brawl and had been shot to death. The widow continued munching on a pig’s foot in silence while she listened to the harrowing news. As the narrator paused, she spoke thickly from her crowded mouth:

“Jest wait till I finish this-here pig’s trotter, an’ ye’ll hear some hollerin’ as is hollerin’.”