estadounidense
Lemma Details
Translation: American; from the United States; U.S. citizen
Part of Speech: adjective, noun
Etymology: Derived from 'Estados Unidos' (United States) + '-ense', a suffix used to form adjectives indicating origin or belonging. The term was created specifically to refer to people or things from the United States of America, distinguishing them from other Americans (from North, Central, or South America). Unlike English, which uses 'American' broadly, Spanish created this specific term to avoid ambiguity.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 30%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Mi amigo es estadounidense.
My friend is American.
La cultura estadounidense tiene mucha influencia global.
American culture has a lot of global influence.
Los estadounidenses celebran el Día de Acción de Gracias en noviembre.
Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in November.
Necesito renovar mi pasaporte estadounidense.
I need to renew my American passport.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'Estados Unidos' (United States) + '-ense' (belonging to)
- Remember that 'uni' in the middle sounds like 'uni-ted' to help recall its connection to United States
- The '-ense' ending is like 'sense' - it makes sense to be specific about which American you mean
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Cultural Context
In Spanish-speaking countries, this term is preferred over 'americano' when specifically referring to people or things from the United States. This reflects the perspective that 'American' should refer to anyone from the Americas (North, Central, and South), not just U.S. citizens. The distinction is important in Latin American contexts where cultural identity and political relations with the U.S. are significant topics.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'estadounidense' specifically refers to people or things from the United States, 'americano' can refer to anyone from the Americas (North, South, or Central). In some contexts, especially in Latin America, using 'americano' to mean only U.S. citizens can be considered culturally insensitive.
This word:
Él es un ciudadano estadounidense que vive en México.
He is a U.S. citizen living in Mexico.
Confused word:
Todos somos americanos, desde Canadá hasta Argentina.
We are all Americans, from Canada to Argentina.
Notes: In practice, 'americano' is sometimes used to mean people from the U.S., especially in Spain, but 'estadounidense' is always the more precise and politically correct term.
Mnemonic: 'Estadounidense' contains 'estados' (states), making it specific to the United States; 'americano' is broader like the continents.
Explanation: 'Estadounidense' refers only to people from the United States, while 'norteamericano' technically includes people from Canada, the United States, and Mexico (all of North America).
This word:
La política estadounidense afecta a todo el mundo.
U.S. politics affects the whole world.
Notes: In some contexts, 'norteamericano' is used informally to mean just U.S. citizens, but this is technically incorrect.
Mnemonic: 'Norte' means north, so 'norteamericano' covers all of North America, not just the U.S.