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Most countries’ names do not use the article “the”, but some do require this article.

For example: the United


States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Philippines, etc. (the ones that have a plural designation)

Some common suffixes for nationalities are:

Ish: British, Flemish, Polish, Turkish


(i) an: American, Canadian, Brazilian, Colombian, Korean, Russian
Ese: Chinese, Maltese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese
i: Bangladeshi, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Yemeni
ic: Arabic, Icelandic, Slavonic

However, there are some that do not follow a pattern: Cypriot, Dutch, Greek, Swiss, Thai, Finn, Swede, Turk,
Spaniard, Dane, Briton, and Arab.
You must use the verb ‘to be’ in simple present/past, as well as, simple present forms with ‘do’ and ‘does’.

To know the place of origin or where someone was born, you can ask:
Where are you from? I’m from Peru. /I’m Peruvian.
Where is he/she from? He/she is from England. he/she is British
Where were you born? I was born in Peru.
Where was he/she born? He/she was born in England.
Where do you come from? I come from Peru.
Where does he/she come from? He/she comes from England.
What is your nationality? I’m Peruvian.
What is his/her nationality? He/she is British.
Where were you raised? I was raised in Peru.
Where was he/she raised? He/she was raised in England.
Note : Whenever the preposition ‘from’ is used, the sentence must refer to
the country or city of origin, not the nationality.

Ex: I’m from Rio de Janeiro. I’m from Brazil.

But if the preposition is not used, then the sentence must refer to the
nationality.

Ex: I’m Brazilian. *I’m from Brazilian.

Nationalities and names of countries are always capitalized.


Ex: I’m Brazilian. I’m from Brazil.
Check your understanding
Choose the correct option:

1. You are from:

a. Dutch b. Finn c. The Philippines

2. He is:

a. Maltese b. Switzerland c. Thailand


1.
c. The Philippines

2.
a. Maltese
Let’s practice

Now, go to the exercises proposed in this lesson.

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