Verb To Be — Nationalities

A1 — grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, writing

Common mistake: “I from Colombia. I Colombian.” — Correct: “I am from Colombia. I am Colombian.”

We use the verb 'to be' (am / is / are) to say who you are, where you are from, and what you are like — your identity in one word.

• 🇨🇴 Colombia — Colombian
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom — British
• 🇯🇵 Japan — Japanese
• 🇧🇷 Brazil — Brazilian
• 🇲🇽 Mexico — Mexican
• 🇫🇷 France — French
• 🇮🇹 Italy — Italian
• 🇺🇸 The United States — American
• 🇩🇪 Germany — German
• 🇪🇸 Spain — Spanish
• 🇨🇳 China — Chinese
• 🇦🇷 Argentina — Argentinian
• 🇨🇦 Canada — Canadian
• 🇦🇺 Australia — Australian

• Sofía is Colombian. She is from Medellín.
• Ben is British, and Kenji is Japanese.
• I am from Colombia, so I am Colombian.
• She is not British. She is Colombian.
• They are not American. They are Mexican.
• I am not from Spain. I am from Argentina.
• Are you French? Where are you from?
• Is Ben British? Is Kenji from Japan?
• Are you Colombian? Yes, I am.
• Is she American? No, she isn't.
• Are they Italian? No, they aren't.

Practice

1. Sofía ___ from Medellín. (am, is, are)
2. Ben is British. This means he is from ___. (Brazil, the United Kingdom, Japan)
3. In English, nationalities are written with a capital letter: 'Japanese', not 'japanese'.
4. Kenji and I ___ students. We love languages.
5. Unscramble: is, Kenji, Japanese, .
6. Find the mistake: She are Colombian.
7. Ben is British. — Make it negative (use 'not').
8. You are from Brazil. — Turn it into a question.
9. Are you Colombian? (Answer: Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.)

Listening

Kenji: Hi! I am Kenji. I am from Japan.

Sofía: Nice to meet you, Kenji. I am Sofía. I am Colombian.

Kenji: Colombian? Are you from Bogotá?

Sofía: No, I am from Medellín.

Ben: Hello! I am Ben, and I am British.

Kenji: So we are all from different countries!

Reading

Sofía, Ben, and Kenji are friends. Sofía is Colombian; she is from Medellín. Ben is British; he is from London. Kenji is Japanese. They are not from the same country, but they are all in Colombia now. They are happy together.

• Sofía is from Bogotá.
• Ben is British.
• Kenji is from Colombia.
• The three friends are in Colombia now.