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Ser vs Estar in Spanish: nationalities
One of the uses of ser (not estar) is to express origin or nationality. Have a look and listen to these examples:
In the examples above, it is compulsory to use the preposition de to express origin with towns, cities, countries or islands.
Ser (conjugated) + de + [origin]
Now read and listen to these examples:
In the examples above, we do not use the preposition de when talking about nationalities.
Be careful!
- With nationalities: Soy de español. Soy español. (I am Spanish).
- Remember that nationalities are never capitalised in Spanish!
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