A globetrotter's full guide to nationalities & countries in Italian

Learning a new language can open the doors - and borders - to new countries and people. As you embark on your own Italian language-learning adventures, you are going to engage in numerous conversations as you meet new people.

Some of the most common initial topics usually involve greetings, introducing yourself, and talking about where you are from.

In this article, we’re going to give you a detailed look at countries, cities, and nationalities in Italian so that you’ll be able to confidently say where you are from in Italian. Although this topic might be one of the first things you cover while learning Italian, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the subtle differences in the Italian spelling and pronunciation of different places.

Now, you might be thinking, “Wait…can’t I just use my native language when talking about different places in the world? Why do I need to know the Italian versions and pronunciation?” Well, you’re actually pretty likely to find yourself in situations that require some knowledge of the Italian versions and pronunciation of different places!

Here are just a few examples:

• You’re in an Italian airport and have a connecting flight from Rome to Paris. You probably won’t hear “Paris” on the intercom, but rather, Parigi.
• You’ve moved to Italy (yay!). You’re at the Italian questura (police station) and must register yourself at your new address. It would be helpful to know how your country and hometown are pronounced in Italian so that you can effectively communicate with the officials.
• You’ve just started a new remote job with offices in Italy. You’ll need to talk about major cities in Italian with your Italian colleagues, and you want to make sure you’re saying them correctly.
• You meet new friends at the local bar and want to talk about where you’re from. You can avoid potentially puzzled looks when you say that you’re from Svezia instead of “Sweden”!

Whatever your reason may be, learning how to talk about where you’re from in Italian will help you make new connections and broaden your horizons while using the language!

List of countries in Italian

We have 116 different countries in our tables below, separated based on where they are in the world. Before we delve into each table, there are just a couple of things to point out. Mainly, you’ll notice the use of Italian articles (il, la, le, i, gli) that come before each country.

Even if some translations are spelled exactly the same in English, pay attention to the pronunciation column, which features the stressed syllable in bold. There might be some changes in the syllable stress!

And with that, we are ready to embark on our journey around the globe. First stop: Africa!

African countries in Italian

Check out this list of African countries and notice the slight differences between the English and Italian versions. This table also features varying ways to say and spell some countries (like Kenya).

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Flag
Algeria	L’Algeria	alʤeˈria	ahl-je-ree-ah	🇩🇿
Angola	L’Angola	æŋˈɡəʊ.lə	ahn-go-la	🇦🇴
Cameroon	Il Camerun	kame'run	cah-me-roon	🇨🇲
Cape Verde	Il Capo Verde	‘kapo verde	cah-po veer-deh	🇨🇻
Republic of the Congo	La Repubblica del Congo	reˈpuβlika ‘del ˈkɔnɡo	re-poo-blee-cah del con-go	🇨🇬
Egypt	L’Egitto	eˈd͡ʒitto	eh-gee-toe	🇪🇬
Equatorial Guinea	La Guinea Equatoriale	ɡwinea ekwatoˈrjal	gwee-neh-ah eh-qwa-toe-ree-ah-leh	🇬🇶
Ethiopia	L’Etiopia	eti.ˈɔpja	eh-tee-oh-pee-ah	🇪🇹
Ghana	Il Ghana	ˈɡana	gah-na	🇬🇭
Ivory Coast	La Costa d’Avorio	ˈkɔsta daˈvɔrjo	coh-sta dah-vo-ree-oh	🇨🇮
Kenya	Il Kenia / Chenia / Kenya	ˈkɛnja	keh-nya	🇰🇪
Libya	La Libia	ˈlibja	lee-bee-yah	🇱🇾
Mauritius	Le Isole Mauritius / Le Mauritius / Maurizio	ˈizole məˑrɪʃ(ⁱ)əs /məˑrɪʃ(ⁱ)əs /mau̯rittsjo	ee-so-leh maur-ee-shius / maur-ee-shius / maur-ee-zio	🇲🇺
Morocco	Il Marocco	maˈrɔkko	mah-rock-oh	🇲🇦
Mozambique	Il Mozambico	mottsambiko	moh-zam-beek-oh	🇲🇿
Nigeria	La Nigeria	niˈʤɛrja	nee-je-ree-ah	🇳🇬
Rwanda	Il Ruanda	ruˈanda	roo-an-da	🇷🇼
Senegal	Il Senegal	seneˈɡal	seh-neh-gal	🇸🇳
Somalia	La Somalia	somalja	so-ma-lee-ah	🇸🇴
South Africa	Il Sudafrica	sud ‘afrika	sood ah-free-ka	🇿🇦
Sudan	Il Sudan	sudan	soo-dahn	🇸🇩
Syria	La Siria	sirja	see-ree-ah	🇸🇾
Tunisia	La Tunisia	tunizja	too-nee-see-ah	🇹🇳
Uganda	L’Uganda	uganda	oo-gahn-dah	🇺🇬
Zimbabwe	Lo Zimbabwe	zimˈbabwe	zeem-bahb-weh	🇿🇼

American countries in Italian

A lot of our readers are from North America, which would fall into this category. Remember: even though some spellings may look the same, the pronunciation may be different. For instance, “Canada” in Italian features the shorter “a” that sounds more like “ah”.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Flag
Argentina	L’Argentina	aɾxenˈtina	ar-jen-tee-na	🇦🇷
Belize	Il Belize / Belise	belittse / belize	beh-lee-zeh	🇧🇿
Bolivia	La Bolivia	bolivja	bo-lee-vee-ah	🇧🇴
Brazil	Il Brasile	braˈzile	bra-see-leh	🇧🇷
Canada	Il Canada	kanaˈda	cah-na-da	🇨🇦
Chile	Il Cile	ˈt͡ʃile	chee-leh	🇨🇱
Colombia	La Colombia	ko'lombja	co-lom-bya	🇨🇴
Costa Rica	La Costa Rica / Costarica	ˈkɔsta rika	coh-sta ree-ka	🇨🇷
Dominican Republic	La Repubblica Dominicana	reˈpuβlika dominiˈkana	re-poob-lee-cah do-min-ee-cah-na	🇩🇴
Jamaica	La Giamaica	dʒamai̯ka	ja-may-ka	🇯🇲
Mexico	Il Messico	messiko	mess-ee-co	🇲🇽
Panama	Le Panama	'panama	pah-nah-ma	🇵🇦
Peru	Il Perù	peˈɾu	peh-roo	🇵🇪
Trinidad and Tobago	(Le isole di) Trinidad e Tobago	trinidad ˈe ttobaɡo	tri-ni-dad eh toe-bah-go	🇹🇹
United States	Gli Stati Uniti	ˈstati uˈniti	sta-tee oo-nee-tee	🇺🇸

Asian countries in Italian

The third stop on our journey is Asia, and these countries also feature some stress changes in pronunciation.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Flag
Armenia	L’Armenia	armenja	ar-me-nee-ah	🇦🇲
Azerbaijan	L’Azerbaigian	aʣʣerbaiˈʤan	ah-zer-bye-jan	🇦🇿
Bangladesh	Il Bangladesh	banɡlaˈdɛʃ	bang-la-desh	🇧🇩
Cambodia	La Cambogia	kambodʒa	cam-bo-jia	🇰🇭
China	La Cina	ˈtʃina	chee-na	🇨🇳
India	L’India	inˈdia	in-dee-ah	🇮🇳
Indonesia	L’Indonesia	indonezja	in-doe-nee-see-ah	🇮🇩
Iran	L’Iran	iˈrɑːn	ee-ran	🇮🇷
Iraq	L’Iraq	iˈrak	ee-rak	🇮🇶
Japan	Il Giappone	ʤapˈpoːne	ja-poe-neh	🇯🇵
Jordan	La Giordania	dʒordanja	jor-dah-nee-ah	🇯🇴
Kazakhstan	Il Kazakistan	kadˈd͡za.ki.stan	kat-sak-ee-stan	🇰🇿
North Korea	La Corea del Nord	koˈrɛa ‘del ˈnɔrd	cor-eh-ah del nord	🇰🇵
South Korea	La Corea del Sud	koˈrɛa ‘del sud	cor-eh-ah del sud	🇰🇷
Lebanon	Libano	ˈli.ba.no	lee-bah-no	🇱🇧
Malaysia	La Malaysia	maˈlaizja	ma-la-ees-yah	🇲🇾
Mongolia	La Mongolia	monˈɡɔlja	mon-go-lee-ah	🇲🇳
Myanmar	La Birmania / Myanmar	birˈmanja /ˌmjɑːnˈmɑ	beer-mahn-yamee-an-mar	🇲🇲
Oman	L’Oman	ʕumaːn	oh-mahn	🇴🇲
Pakistan	Il Pakistan / Pachistan	pa.ki.stan	pahk-ee-stahn	🇵🇰
Palestine	La Palestina	pa.leˈsti.na	pah-le-stee-na	🇵🇸
Philippines	Le Filippine	filipˈpine	fe-lee-pee-neh	🇵🇭
Qatar	Il Qatar	ˈqɑtˤɑr	ka-tar	🇶🇦
Saudi Arabia	L’Arabia Saudita	aˌɾabja sauˈdita	ah-rah-bee-ah sau-dee-ta	🇸🇦
Singapore	La Singapore	sin.ɡaˈpo.re	sing-ah-por-eh	🇸🇬
Sri Lanka	La Sri Lanka	sriˈlanka	zri-lan-ka	🇱🇰
Thailand	La Tailandia	taiˈlandja	tie-lan-dya	🇹🇭
Turkey	La Turchia	ˈturkja	tur-key-ah	🇹🇷
United Arab Emirates	Gli Emirati Arabi Uniti	emiˈrati ˈarabi uˈniti	em-ee-rah-tee ah-rah-bee oo-nee-tee	🇦🇪
Uzbekistan	L’Uzbekistan / Usbechistan	uˈzbɛ.ki.stan	ooz-beck-ee-stan	🇺🇿
Vietnam	Il Vietnam	vjetˈnam	vee-et-nam	🇻🇳
Yemen	Lo Yemen	ˈjɛmen	yeh-men	🇾🇪

European countries in Italian

We’ve made it to Europe! This section may be particularly helpful if you’re traveling around Europe with Italian friends or passing through Italy on a European vacation.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Flag
Albania	L’Albania	al.baˈni.a	al-bah-nee-ah	🇦🇱
Andorra	(Il Principato di) Andorra	anˈdora	an-dor-rah	🇦🇩
Austria	L’Austria	ˈaw.strja	ow-stree-ah	🇦🇹
Belgium	Il Belgio	'bɛlʤo	bell-joe	🇧🇪
Bulgaria	La Bulgaria	bul.ɡaˈri.a	bull-gah-ree-ah	🇧🇬
Croatia	La Croazia	kroˈat.t͡sja	crow-ahz-ya	🇭🇷
Cyprus	(La Repubblica di) Cipro	ˈʧipro	chee-pro	🇨🇾
Czechia	La Repubblica Ceca / Cechia	tʃekja	re-poob-lee-cah check-a / ke-kee-ah	🇨🇿
Denmark	La Danimarca	da.niˈmar.ka	dah-nee-mar-ka	🇩🇰
Finland	La Finlandia	finˈlan.dja	fin-lan-dee-ah	🇫🇮
France	La Francia	ˈfrantʃa	fran-cha	🇫🇷
Germany	La Germania	dʒerˈmanja	jer-mahn-ee-ah	🇩🇪
Greece	La Grecia	ɡretʃa	greh-cha	🇬🇷
Hungary	L’Ungheria	un.ɡeˈri.a	un-ghe-ree-ah	🇭🇺
Iceland	L’Islanda	iˈzlan.da	is-lan-da	🇮🇸
Ireland	L’Irlanda	iɾˈlanda	ir-lan-da	🇮🇪
Italy	L’Italia	i.t̪a.li.a	ee-tah-lya	🇮🇹
Lithuania	La Lituania	li.tuˈa.ni.a	lee-two-an-ya	🇱🇹
Luxembourg	Il Lussemburgo	lus.semˈbur.ɡo	luss-em-boor-go	🇱🇺
The Netherlands	I Paesi Bassi	paˈɛzi ˈbassi	ee pa-eh-see bass-ee	🇳🇱
Norway	(Il Regno di) Norvegia	norˈvɛ.d͡ʒa	nor-veh-ja	🇳🇴
Poland	La Polonia	poˈlɔnja	poe-low-nee-ah	🇵🇱
Portugal	Il Portogallo	por.toˈɡal.lo	pour-toe-gall-oh	🇵🇹
Romania	La Romania	ˈro̞mɑˌniɑ	ro-mah-nee-ah	🇷🇴
Russia	La Russia	ˈrus.sja	russ-ya	🇷🇺
Serbia	La Serbia	ˈseɾ.β̞ja	ser-bya	🇷🇸
Slovakia	La Slovacchia	zloˈvak.kja	slow-vahk-ya	🇸🇰
Slovenia	La Slovenia	zlovenja	slow-veh-nya	🇸🇮
Spain	La Spagna	ˈspaɲ.ɲa	spa-neea	🇪🇸
Sweden	La Svezia	ˈzvɛt.t͡sja	sve-zya	🇸🇪
Switzerland	La Svizzera	ˈzvit.t͡se.ra	svee-zeh-ra	🇨🇭
Ukraine	L’Ucraìna/ Ucràina	uˈkraj.na	oo-cra-nee-ah	🇺🇦
United Kingdom	Il Regno Unito	ˈreɲɲo uˈnito	reh-nio oo-nee-toe	🇬🇧

Oceanian countries in Italian

Our last group includes the beautiful Oceanian countries! Take a look at the spelling and pronunciation below.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Flag
Australia	L’Australia	auˈstralja	ow-stra-lee-ah	🇦🇺
Federated States of Micronesia	Gli Stati Federati di Micronesia / Micronesia	ˈstati fedeˈrati di mikronezja /mikronezja	lee stah-tee fe-de-rah-tee dee mee-cro-neh-sya	🇫🇲
Fiji	Le Figi	ˈfidʒi	fee-jee	🇫🇯
Kiribati	Le Kiribati	'kiribas	ki-ree-bah-tee	🇰🇮
New Zealand	La Nuova Zelanda	ˈnwɔva dzelanda	noo-oh-vah ze-lan-da	🇳🇿
Papua New Guinea	La Papua Nuova Guinea	papwa ˈnwɔva ɡwinea	pah-poo-ah noo-oh-vah gwee-neh-ah	🇵🇬
Samoa	Le Samoa	saˈmoa	sah-mow-ah	🇼🇸
Solomon Islands	Le Isole Salomone	ˈizole salomone	ee-so-leh sah-low-mow-neh	🇸🇧
Tonga	(Il Regno di) Tonga	ˈt̪õŋ.ɡa	ton-gah	🇹🇴
Vanuatu	(La Repubblica di) Vanuatu	baˈnwatu	vah-noo-ah-too	🇻🇺

List of major cities in Italian

Now that we’ve looked at countries, it’s time to go more in-depth and look at cities. The following two tables have a list of major global cities and major American cities. Read through them and see if your favorite cities or hometown are on the lists!

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Tokyo	Tokio	ˈtɔkjo	toe-kyo
Delhi	Delhi	ˈdel.i	deh-lee
Shanghai	Shanghai	ʃanˈɡaj	shang-hi
São Paulo	San Paolo	ˈsam ˈpa.o.lo	san pow-lo
Mexico City	Città del Messico	ˈtʃitta ‘del ˈmɛs.si.ko	chee-tah del mess-ee-ko
Cairo	Cairo	ˈkaɪɹoʊ	kai-row
Mumbai	Bombay	bomˈbɛi	bom-bay
Beijing	Pechino	peˈkino	pe-kee-no
Dhaka	Dacca	dakka	dah-ka
Osaka	Osaka	oˈzaka	oh-sa-ka
Karachi	Karachi	kəˈrɑːtʃi	ka-ra-chee
Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires	ˌbwe.nos ˈai̯.ɾes	bwen-os ay-res
Chongqing	Chongqing	ˌt͡ʃɔŋˈt͡ʃɪŋ	chong-ching
Istanbul	Istanbul	ɪstænˈbʊl	ees-tahn-bul
Kolkata	Calcutta	kælˈkʌtə	kal-coo-tah
Manila	Manila	maˈɲi.la	mah-nee-la
Lagos	Lagos	ˈla.ɡos	lah-goes
Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro	ˈri.o de ʒaˈnɛj.ro	ree-oh deh jah-nay-ro
Kinshasa	Kinshasa	kɪnˈʃɑːsə	keen-sha-za
Guangzhou	Guangzhou	‘ɡwɑŋˈdʒoʊ	guan-zhoo
Moscow	Mosca	ˈmo.ska	mos-ka
Lahore	Lahore	laore	la-oh-re
Bangalore	Bangalore	ˌbæŋɡəˈlɔː	bahn-gah-lo-reh
Paris	Parigi	paˈriʤi	pa-ree-gee
Bogotá	Bogotà	boʊ.ɡəˈtɑ:	boh-go-tah
Jakarta	Giacarta	dʒakarta	ja-car-tah
Bangkok	Bangkok	bæŋˈkɑːk	bang-kok
Seoul	Seul	se.'ul	se-ool
London	Londra	ˈlondɾa̝	lon-dra
Tehran	Teheran	ˈtɛ.ɹæn	teh-rahn
Ho Chi Minh City	Città di Ho Chi Minh	ˈtʃitta di ˈɔ ˈkki mmin	chee-tah dee ho chee min
Kuala Lumpur	Kuala Lumpur	kuˈɑːlə ˈlʊmpə(ɹ)	coo-ah-la loom-pur
Riyadh	Riad	ar riˈjaːdˤ	ree-ad
Baghdad	Bagdad	baɡˈdad	bahg-dad
Toronto	Toronto	təˈɹɒntoʊ̯	toe-ron-toe
Dar es Salaam	Dar es Salaam	ˌdɑɹɛssəˈlɑm	dar es sah-laam
Singapore	Singapore	sin.ɡaˈpo.re	seen-gah-po-reh
Johannesburg	Johannesburg	dʒoannezburɡ	yo-han-es-burg
Saint Petersburg	San Pietroburgo	ˈsam pje.troˈbur.ɡo	san pee-yeh-tro-burg-oh
Yangon	Yangon	jɑŋˈɡɑn	yan-gone
Sydney	Sidney	ˈsɪdni	seed-nay
Melbourne	Melbourne	ˈmɛlbərn	mel-burn
Auckland	Auckland	ˈɔːklənd	oak-land
Montreal	Montrèal	mɔ̃ʁeal	mon-treh-all
Vancouver	Vancouver	vænˈkuː.vɚ	van-coo-ver
Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	ɑː.buːˈdɑː.bi	ah-boo dah-bee
Abuja	Abuja	əˈbuː.dʒə	ah-boo-ja
Accra	Accra	əˈkrɑː	ak-rah
Addis Ababa	Addis Abeba	adˈdis ˈaβəβa	ah-dees ah-beh-ba
Algiers	Algeri	alˈʤɛri	ahl-jer-ry
Amsterdam	Amsterdam	ˌæmstəˈdæm	am-ster-dahm
Ankara	Ankara	anˈkaɾa	an-ka-rah
Athens	Atene	aˈtɛne	ah-teh-neh
Berlin	Berlino	berˈlino	ber-lee-no
Bern	Berna	ˈbɛrna	ber-nah
Brasília	Brasilia	braˈzilja	brah-see-lee-ah
Brazzaville	Brazzaville	ˈbɹɑːzəvɪl	brah-za-veel
Brussels	Bruxelles	bʁyk.sɛl	brux-elle
Bucharest	Bucarest	bu.ka.rest	boo-ca-rest
Budapest	Budapest	ˈbu.da.pest	boo-da-pest
Canberra	Canberra	ˈkænbɹə	can-ber-ra
Colombo	Colombo	koˈlom.bo	co-lom-bo
Copenhagen	Copenaghen	ˈkoʊpənˌheɪɡən	co-pen-ha-gen
Dakar	Dakar	ˈda.kar	dah-kar
Damascus	Damasco	daˈma.sko	dah-mas-co
Doha	Doha	ˈdoa	doe-ah
Dublin	Dublino	duˈbli.no	doo-blee-no
Hanoi	Hanoi	hɑːˈnɔɪ	ha-noy
Helsinki	Helsinki	xelˈsinki	hell-seen-kee
Islamabad	Islamabad	ɪzˈlɑːməˌbɑːd	ees-lah-mah-bad
Jerusalem	Gerusalemme	d͡ʒe.ru.zaˈlɛm.me	jeer-oo-sah-leh-meh
Kingston	Kingston	ˈkɪŋ.stən	keeng-ston
Lisbon	Lisbona	lizˈboːna	lees-boh-na
Nairobi	Nairobi	najˈrɔ.bi	ny-roh-bee
Oslo	Oslo	ˈɔ.zlo	os-low
Ottawa	Ottawa	oˈt̪a.wa	ott-ah-wah
Panama City	Panamá	pa.na.ma	pah-na-ma
Phnom Penh	Phnom Penh	pəˈnɔːm ˈpɛn	fa-nom pen
Prague	Praga	ˈpra.ɡa	pra-gah
Rabat	Rabat	raˈbat	rah-baht
Reykjavík	Reykjavik	ˈrɛj.kja.vik	ray-kya-vik
Rome	Roma	ˈro.ma	row-mah
Santiago	Santiago	sanˈtjaɡo	san-tee-ah-go
Stockholm	Stoccolma	stokˈkol.ma	stock-ol-mah
Taipei	Taipei	taɪˈpeɪ	tie-pay
Vienna	Vienna	ˈvjɛn.na	vee-en-na
Wellington	Wellington	ˈwɛl.ɪŋ.tən	well-ing-ton
Warsaw	Varsavia	varˈsa.vja	var-sah-vya
Zagreb	Zagabria	d͡zaˈɡa.brja	za-gah-bree-ah

List of major cities in the United States

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
New York City	New York	njuˈjɔrk	new york
Los Angeles	Los Angeles	lɔːs ˈændʒələs	los an-je-les
Chicago	Chicago	ʧiˈkaɡo	chee-cah-go
Houston	Houston	ˈhjuːstən	hyou-ston
Phoenix	Phoenix	ˈfiːniks	fee-nix
Philadelphia	Filadelfia	ˌfɪl.əˈdel.fi.ə	fee-la-del-fee-ah
San Antonio	San Antonio	ˌsan anˈtonjo	san an-toe-nee-oh
San Diego	San Diego	ˌsæn diˈeɪɡoʊ	san dee-eh-go
Dallas	Dallas	dæləs	dah-las
San Jose	San Jose	ˌsæn hoʊˈseɪ	san ho-say
Austin	Austin	ˈɔstɪn	au-steen
Columbus	Columbus	kəˈlʌmbəs	co-lom-boos
Charlotte	Charlotte	ˈʃɑɹlət	char-lotte
San Francisco	San Francisco	ˌsan fɾanˈsisko	san fran-sees-ko
Seattle	Seattle	siˈætl̩	see-att-le
Denver	Denver	ˈdɛnvɚ	den-ver
Washington, D.C.	Washington D.C	ˈwɔʃʃinton	wa-sheeng-ton dee-see
Boston	Boston	ˈbɔstən	bos-ton

Nationalities in Italian

The last thing we’ll look at before putting all of this information together is nationalities. You’ll notice that those ending with -ese do not need to be altered based on male or female genders. However, the other nationalities have different endings (o or a) depending on gender. We’ll give you a few examples in the next section, but remember that you would use the verb essere (to be) when talking about your nationality.

A note about Americans and British citizens

If you’re from the United States or a British citizen, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First off, Americans might assume that “Sono americano/a.” is the only way to say “I’m American”. But technically, there’s a slightly better (and more specific) way to say this!

Think about it: there are many different countries that would fall into the category of the Americas, so it’s usually best to specify which country in the Americas you’re from. The best way to specify that you’re from the United States would be to say, “Sono statunitense.” This is especially true if you find yourself in formal situations, like talking to a customs officer or a police officer at the questura. With this being said, saying “Sono americano/a.” among friends and general acquaintances will still get the job done, and it’s fine to say.

British citizens, on the other hand, can specify their countries and nationalities in different ways. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. If this applies to you, you could say “Sono britannico. Vengo dalla Scozia.”, (I’m British. I’m from Scotland) or you could simply say “Sono Scozzese.”.

To go more in-depth on this, check out our article that breaks down different ways to talk about where you’re from!

Country	Nationality in Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Spain	Spagnolo/a	spa'ɲɔlo / spa'ɲɔla	span-yo-lo / span-yo-la
Mexico	Messicano/a	mesːi'kano / mesːi'kana	mess-ee-kah-no / mess-ee-kah-na
Argentina	Argentino/a	ardʒen'tino / ardʒen'tina	ar-jen-tee-no / ar-jen-tee-na
Colombia	Colombiano/a	kolom'bjano / kolom'bjana	ko-lom-bya-no / ko-lom-bya-na
Peru	Peruviano/a	peru'vjano / peru'vjana	peh-roov-ya-no / peh-roov-ya-na
Puerto Rico	Portoricano/a	portoriˈkano / portoriˈkana	por-to-ree-kah-no / por-to-ree-kah-na
Costa Rica	Costaricano/a	kostariˈkano / kostariˈkana	cos-ta-ree-kah-no / cos-ta-ree-kah-na
United States	Statunitense / americano/a	statuniˈtɛnse / ameriˈkano ameriˈkana	sta-tee-oo-nee-ten-se / ah-me-ree-kah-no / ah-me-ree-kah-na
Canada	Canadese	ka.naˈde.ze	kah-na-deh-se
United Kingdom	Britannico/a	bri'tanːiko / bri'tanːika	brih-tah-nee-ko / brih-tah-nee-ka
England	Inglese	in'ɡlese	een-gle-seh
Northern Ireland	Nord-Irlandese	‘nɔrd irlan'deze	nord-eer-lahn-deh-seh
Ireland	Irelandese	irlan'deze	eer-lahn-deh-seh
Wales	Gallese	ɡalˈle.ze	gah-leh-seh
Scotland	Scozzese	sko'tːsese	skot-seh-seh
France	Francese	fran'tʃeze	fran-cheh-seh
Germany	Tedesco/a	te'desko / te'deska	te-de-sko / te-de-ska
Italy	Italiano/a	ita'ljano / ita'ljana	ee-tah-lya-no / ee-tah-lya-na
Switzerland	Svizzero/a	ˈzvit.t͡se.ro / ˈzvit.t͡se.ra	svee-ze-ro / svee-ze-ra
Sweden	Svedese	zveˈde.ze	sveh-deh-se
Australia	Australiano/a	​​austra'ljano / austra'ljana	aus-tra-lee-ah-no / aus-tra-lee-ah-na
Japan	Giapponese	dʒapːo'nese	ja-poh-neh-se
China	Cinese	tʃi'nese	chee-neh-se
India	Indiano/a	in'djano / in'djana	een-dee-ah-no / een-dee-ah-na
South Africa	Sud Africano/a	sud afri'kano / sud afri'kana	sud ah-free-cah-no / sud ah-free-cah-na
Egypt	Egiziano/a	edi'tsjano /edi'tsjana	eh-geetz-ya-no / eh-geetz-ya-na
Morocco	Marocchino/a	maro'kːino / maro'kːina	ma-rock-ee-no / ma-rock-ee-na

Putting it all together

Now that we’ve read about countries, cities, and nationalities, it’s time to put everything together with some examples!

Notice how the cities in these examples were not on our “Major Cities” list, so the speakers specify where the city is located for more clarity. Another thing to point out is that nationalities are not capitalized in Italian, which is different from English.

Read through these examples and feel free to practice with your own nationality, country, and city! If you’d like to practice using the third person or more than one person, you can brush up on the verb essere:

• Io sono
• Tu sei
• Lui / Lei è
• Noi siamo
• Voi siete
• Loro sono

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
I’m American. I’m from Pittsburgh. It’s a city in Pennsylvania.	Sono statunitense. Sono di Pittsburgh. È una città in Pennsylvania.	sono statuniˈtɛnse ‖ sono di pittzburɡ ‖ ˈɛ ˈuna tʃitˈta im pennslvanja ‖	so-no sta-tee-oo-nee-ten-se ‖ so-no di peets-burg ‖ eh oo-na chee-tah een penn-sil-vah-nya
I’m a British citizen. I’m from Belfast, a city in Ireland.	Sono un cittadino britannico. Sono di Belfast, una città in Nord Irlanda.	sono un tʃittaˈdino briˈtanniko ‖ sono di belfast | ˈuna tʃitˈta in ˈnɔrd irlanda ‖	so-no oon chee-tah-dee-no bree-tah-nee-ko ‖ so-no di bell-fast, oo-na chee-tah een nord ir-lan-dah

Oh, the places you’ll go…

Now that we’re finished with our language journey around the globe, it’s time to start using all of your new expertise about countries, cities, and nationalities in Italian. Learning a new language really opens up new doors to different places, and we hope you’ll get to learn about where your new friends and acquaintances are from…in Italian, of course!

So, what’s next? You could explore many fun phrases to ask and answer questions about where you’re from, and even understand different ways to describe what your country or hometown is like. The options are endless!

No matter how advanced you become in Italian, it’s always helpful to review the basics of topics that can come up quite frequently, like talking about where you’re from. And don’t forget to brush up on your Italian vocabulary while you’re at it. Happy travels!