🌍 Countries

⏱ 14 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful everyday English vocabulary and expressions for talking about countries, nationalities, languages, where people are from, and traveling to different parts of the world. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Common Countries

💃 Spain
a country in southern Europe
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: España
🇫🇷 French: Espagne
🇩🇪 German: Spanien
🇮🇹 Italian: Spagna
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Espanha
🌵 Mexico
a country in North America
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: México
🇫🇷 French: Mexique
🇩🇪 German: Mexiko
🇮🇹 Italian: Messico
🇵🇹 Portuguese: México
🗽 United States
a large country in North America
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Estados Unidos
🇫🇷 French: États-Unis
🇩🇪 German: Vereinigte Staaten
🇮🇹 Italian: Stati Uniti
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Estados Unidos
🧉 Argentina
a country in South America
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Argentina
🇫🇷 French: Argentine
🇩🇪 German: Argentinien
🇮🇹 Italian: Argentina
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Argentina
🌺 Colombia
a country in South America
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Colombia
🇫🇷 French: Colombie
🇩🇪 German: Kolumbien
🇮🇹 Italian: Colombia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Colômbia
🦙 Peru
a country in South America
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Perú
🇫🇷 French: Pérou
🇩🇪 German: Peru
🇮🇹 Italian: Perù
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Peru
🗼 France
a country in western Europe
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Francia
🇫🇷 French: France
🇩🇪 German: Frankreich
🇮🇹 Italian: Francia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: França
🗻 Japan
an island country in East Asia
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Japón
🇫🇷 French: Japon
🇩🇪 German: Japan
🇮🇹 Italian: Giappone
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Japão

🟡 Countries & Travel Vocabulary

🌎 Country
a land with its own government
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: País
🇫🇷 French: Pays
🇩🇪 German: Land
🇮🇹 Italian: Paese
🇵🇹 Portuguese: País
🏙️ Capital city
the main city of a country
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Capital
🇫🇷 French: Capitale
🇩🇪 German: Hauptstadt
🇮🇹 Italian: Capitale
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Capital
🌐 Continent
a very large area of land, like Europe or Asia
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Continente
🇫🇷 French: Continent
🇩🇪 German: Kontinent
🇮🇹 Italian: Continente
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Continente
🗺️ Map
a drawing that shows countries and places
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mapa
🇫🇷 French: Carte
🇩🇪 German: Karte
🇮🇹 Italian: Mappa
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Mapa
🧳 To travel
to go from one place to another
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Viajar
🇫🇷 French: Voyager
🇩🇪 German: Reisen
🇮🇹 Italian: Viaggiare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Viajar
🛫 Airport
a place where airplanes take off and land
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Aeropuerto
🇫🇷 French: Aéroport
🇩🇪 German: Flughafen
🇮🇹 Italian: Aeroporto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aeroporto

🔵 Languages & Nationalities

🗣️ Language
the words people use to speak and write
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Idioma
🇫🇷 French: Langue
🇩🇪 German: Sprache
🇮🇹 Italian: Lingua
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Idioma / Língua
🌍 Nationality
the country a person belongs to
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Nacionalidad
🇫🇷 French: Nationalité
🇩🇪 German: Nationalität
🇮🇹 Italian: Nazionalità
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nacionalidade
💃 Spanish
the language of Spain and many other countries
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Español
🇫🇷 French: Espagnol
🇩🇪 German: Spanisch
🇮🇹 Italian: Spagnolo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Espanhol
🗨️ English
the language used on this page
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Inglés
🇫🇷 French: Anglais
🇩🇪 German: Englisch
🇮🇹 Italian: Inglese
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Inglês
🗼 French
the language of France
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Francés
🇫🇷 French: Français
🇩🇪 German: Französisch
🇮🇹 Italian: Francese
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Francês
🗻 Japanese
the language of Japan
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Japonés
🇫🇷 French: Japonais
🇩🇪 German: Japanisch
🇮🇹 Italian: Giapponese
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Japonês

🧠 Talking About Countries & Nationalities

💡 Use I'm from... or I come from... to say where someone is from.
I'm from Mexico.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Soy de México.
🇫🇷 Je viens du Mexique.
🇩🇪 Ich komme aus Mexiko.
🇮🇹 Vengo dal Messico.
🇵🇹 Sou do México.
Where are you from?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 ¿De dónde eres?
🇫🇷 D'où viens-tu ?
🇩🇪 Woher kommst du?
🇮🇹 Di dove sei?
🇵🇹 De onde és?
💡 In English, nationality adjectives usually stay the same for men and women.
He is Mexican.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Él es mexicano.
🇫🇷 Il est mexicain.
🇩🇪 Er ist Mexikaner.
🇮🇹 Lui è messicano.
🇵🇹 Ele é mexicano.
She is Mexican.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Ella es mexicana.
🇫🇷 Elle est mexicaine.
🇩🇪 Sie ist Mexikanerin.
🇮🇹 Lei è messicana.
🇵🇹 Ela é mexicana.
Some nationality words are the same for both genders in English (for example: American, Spanish, Japanese).
💡 In English, country names are normally used without an article when talking about where you are from or where you are traveling.
I live in Spain.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Vivo en España.
🇫🇷 J'habite en Espagne.
🇩🇪 Ich lebe in Spanien.
🇮🇹 Vivo in Spagna.
🇵🇹 Vivo em Espanha.
I want to travel to Colombia.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Quiero viajar a Colombia.
🇫🇷 Je veux voyager en Colombie.
🇩🇪 Ich möchte nach Kolumbien reisen.
🇮🇹 Voglio viaggiare in Colombia.
🇵🇹 Quero viajar para a Colômbia.

💬 Everyday Phrases About Countries

🌺 My friend lives in Spain, but her family is from Argentina.
she lives in one country and her family is from another
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi amiga vive en España, pero su familia es de Argentina.
🇫🇷 French: Mon amie vit en Espagne, mais sa famille est d'Argentine.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Freundin lebt in Spanien, aber ihre Familie kommt aus Argentinien.
🇮🇹 Italian: La mia amica vive in Spagna, ma la sua famiglia è dell'Argentina.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A minha amiga vive em Espanha, mas a família dela é da Argentina.
🧳 Next summer we want to travel to Mexico and visit several cities.
we plan a trip to more than one city in Mexico
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El próximo verano queremos viajar a México y visitar varias ciudades.
🇫🇷 French: L'été prochain, nous voulons voyager au Mexique et visiter plusieurs villes.
🇩🇪 German: Nächsten Sommer wollen wir nach Mexiko reisen und mehrere Städte besuchen.
🇮🇹 Italian: La prossima estate vogliamo viaggiare in Messico e visitare diverse città.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: No próximo verão queremos viajar para o México e visitar várias cidades.
🗣️ At home we speak Spanish, but at work I use English every day.
we use one language at home and another at work
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: En casa hablamos español, pero en el trabajo uso inglés todos los días.
🇫🇷 French: À la maison nous parlons espagnol, mais au travail j'utilise l'anglais tous les jours.
🇩🇪 German: Zu Hause sprechen wir Spanisch, aber bei der Arbeit benutze ich jeden Tag Englisch.
🇮🇹 Italian: A casa parliamo spagnolo, ma al lavoro uso l'inglese tutti i giorni.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Em casa falamos espanhol, mas no trabalho uso inglês todos os dias.
🌎 I like learning about other countries and getting to know their customs.
I enjoy studying other places and how people live there
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Me gusta aprender sobre otros países y conocer sus costumbres.
🇫🇷 French: J'aime apprendre sur d'autres pays et découvrir leurs coutumes.
🇩🇪 German: Ich lerne gerne über andere Länder und ihre Bräuche kennen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi piace imparare sugli altri paesi e conoscere le loro usanze.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Gosto de aprender sobre outros países e conhecer os seus costumes.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Talking about where you're from
saying your country and the languages you speak
A: Where are you from?
B: I'm from Peru, but now I live in the United States.
A: And what languages do you speak?
B: I speak Spanish and English.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿De dónde eres?
🇪🇸 B: Soy de Perú, pero ahora vivo en Estados Unidos.
🇪🇸 A: ¿Y qué idiomas hablas?
🇪🇸 B: Hablo español e inglés.

🇫🇷 A: D'où viens-tu ?
🇫🇷 B: Je viens du Pérou, mais maintenant j'habite aux États-Unis.
🇫🇷 A: Et quelles langues parles-tu ?
🇫🇷 B: Je parle espagnol et anglais.

🇩🇪 A: Woher kommst du?
🇩🇪 B: Ich komme aus Peru, aber jetzt lebe ich in den Vereinigten Staaten.
🇩🇪 A: Und welche Sprachen sprichst du?
🇩🇪 B: Ich spreche Spanisch und Englisch.

🇮🇹 A: Di dove sei?
🇮🇹 B: Vengo dal Perù, ma ora vivo negli Stati Uniti.
🇮🇹 A: E quali lingue parli?
🇮🇹 B: Parlo spagnolo e inglese.

🇵🇹 A: De onde és?
🇵🇹 B: Sou do Peru, mas agora vivo nos Estados Unidos.
🇵🇹 A: E que idiomas falas?
🇵🇹 B: Falo espanhol e inglês.
Talking about travel plans
saying a country you want to visit
A: What country would you like to travel to someday?
B: I'd like to visit Japan and spend a few days in Tokyo.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿A qué país te gustaría viajar algún día?
🇪🇸 B: Me gustaría conocer Japón y pasar unos días en Tokio.

🇫🇷 A: Dans quel pays aimerais-tu voyager un jour ?
🇫🇷 B: J'aimerais découvrir le Japon et passer quelques jours à Tokyo.

🇩🇪 A: In welches Land würdest du gerne einmal reisen?
🇩🇪 B: Ich würde gerne Japan besuchen und ein paar Tage in Tokio verbringen.

🇮🇹 A: In quale paese ti piacerebbe viaggiare un giorno?
🇮🇹 B: Mi piacerebbe conoscere il Giappone e passare qualche giorno a Tokyo.

🇵🇹 A: A que país gostarias de viajar um dia?
🇵🇹 B: Gostaria de conhecer o Japão e passar alguns dias em Tóquio.

📝 Example Sentences

🌺 My neighbors are Colombian, and they visit their family whenever they travel to Colombia.
they go home to see family when they travel
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mis vecinos son colombianos y visitan a su familia cada vez que viajan a Colombia.
🇫🇷 French: Mes voisins sont colombiens et ils rendent visite à leur famille chaque fois qu'ils voyagent en Colombie.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Nachbarn sind Kolumbianer und besuchen ihre Familie, wann immer sie nach Kolumbien reisen.
🇮🇹 Italian: I miei vicini sono colombiani e visitano la loro famiglia ogni volta che viaggiano in Colombia.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Os meus vizinhos são colombianos e visitam a família sempre que viajam para a Colômbia.
🗼 My sister is learning French because she wants to study for a semester in France.
she studies French for school in France
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi hermana está aprendiendo francés porque quiere estudiar un semestre en Francia.
🇫🇷 French: Ma sœur apprend le français parce qu'elle veut étudier un semestre en France.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Schwester lernt Französisch, weil sie ein Semester in Frankreich studieren möchte.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mia sorella sta imparando il francese perché vuole studiare un semestre in Francia.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A minha irmã está a aprender francês porque quer estudar um semestre em França.
🏙️ Madrid is the capital of Spain and receives visitors from many parts of the world.
Madrid is Spain's main city and many tourists go there
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Madrid es la capital de España y recibe visitantes de muchas partes del mundo.
🇫🇷 French: Madrid est la capitale de l'Espagne et reçoit des visiteurs de nombreuses parties du monde.
🇩🇪 German: Madrid ist die Hauptstadt Spaniens und empfängt Besucher aus vielen Teilen der Welt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Madrid è la capitale della Spagna e riceve visitatori da molte parti del mondo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Madrid é a capital de Espanha e recebe visitantes de muitas partes do mundo.
🧉 During our trip through Argentina, we saw cities, mountains, and very different landscapes.
the trip showed many kinds of places
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Durante nuestro viaje por Argentina vimos ciudades, montañas y paisajes muy diferentes.
🇫🇷 French: Pendant notre voyage en Argentine, nous avons vu des villes, des montagnes et des paysages très différents.
🇩🇪 German: Während unserer Reise durch Argentinien haben wir Städte, Berge und sehr unterschiedliche Landschaften gesehen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Durante il nostro viaggio in Argentina abbiamo visto città, montagne e paesaggi molto diversi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Durante a nossa viagem pela Argentina vimos cidades, montanhas e paisagens muito diferentes.
🗻 Before traveling to Japan, my cousin learned some basic words and expressions in Japanese.
he studied simple Japanese before the trip
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Antes de viajar a Japón, mi primo aprendió algunas palabras y expresiones básicas en japonés.
🇫🇷 French: Avant de voyager au Japon, mon cousin a appris quelques mots et expressions de base en japonais.
🇩🇪 German: Bevor er nach Japan reiste, hat mein Cousin einige grundlegende Wörter und Ausdrücke auf Japanisch gelernt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Prima di viaggiare in Giappone, mio cugino ha imparato alcune parole ed espressioni di base in giapponese.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Antes de viajar para o Japão, o meu primo aprendeu algumas palavras e expressões básicas em japonês.
🗺️ We marked on the map all the countries we would like to visit in the future.
we showed future trip ideas on a map
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Marcamos en el mapa todos los países que nos gustaría visitar en el futuro.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons marqué sur la carte tous les pays que nous aimerions visiter à l'avenir.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben auf der Karte alle Länder markiert, die wir in Zukunft besuchen möchten.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo segnato sulla mappa tutti i paesi che ci piacerebbe visitare in futuro.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Marcámos no mapa todos os países que gostaríamos de visitar no futuro.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the best word or phrase from the lesson.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%