Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ella es mexicana y vive en México.

Ella es mexicana y vive en México.

She is Mexican and lives in Mexico.

Breakdown of Ella es mexicana y vive en México.

Questions & Answers about Ella es mexicana y vive en México.

Why isn't mexicana capitalized?

In Spanish, nationalities and languages are not capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence. So, we write mexicana with a lowercase "m". However, country names like México are always capitalized.

Why do we use es instead of está here?

es comes from the verb ser, which is used to talk about permanent or defining characteristics, including a person's nationality. The other "to be" verb, estar, is used for temporary states or locations.

If a man were Mexican, how would the sentence change?

It would change to Él es mexicano y vive en México. Adjectives for nationality must match the gender of the person you are talking about. Since ella (she) is female, we use the feminine form mexicana. If the subject were male, we would use the masculine form mexicano.

How do you pronounce the "x" in México and mexicana?

In these specific words, the "x" makes a breathy "h" sound, similar to the Spanish "j". It does not sound like the "ks" sound used in the English word "Mexico".

Why does México have an accent mark, but doesn't?