Learn Spanish (Spain): Mi apellido es García.

Mi apellido es García.

My surname is García.

Breakdown of Mi apellido es García.

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Questions & Answers about Mi apellido es García.

Is apellido used for both first and last names?

No, apellido specifically means your surname or last name. If you want to talk about your first name, you use the word nombre.

Why do we use es instead of está in this sentence?

We use es (from the verb ser) because names are considered a core part of your identity. In Spanish, we use ser to identify people and things, while estar is used for temporary states or physical locations.

Does the word mi change if I have more than one surname?

Yes! In Spanish, words describing possession (like my, your, or his) must match whether the noun is singular or plural. Because people in Spain traditionally have two surnames, you will often hear people say mis apellidos son... when sharing both.

Why does García have an accent mark on the letter i?

The accent mark tells you to put the spoken stress on the i instead of following the default pronunciation rules. In Spain, it is pronounced gar-THEE-ah.