Learn Spanish (Spain): Mi compañera de piso es catalana.

Mi compañera de piso es catalana.

My flatmate is Catalan.

Breakdown of Mi compañera de piso es catalana.

Questions & Answers about Mi compañera de piso es catalana.

Why is catalana written with a lowercase letter?

In Spanish, nationalities, languages, and words for people from specific regions (like catalana for someone from Catalonia) are not capitalized, even though they are in English.

Why do we use es instead of está for where she is from?

We use es (from the verb ser) because nationalities and regional origins are considered core identities or permanent characteristics, which always take ser.

Why doesn't the sentence say es una catalana?

When stating someone's nationality or origin after the verb ser, Spanish treats the word as an adjective, so you leave out the article. You would only add una if you included a descriptive adjective, for example: es una catalana muy simpática.

Why use piso here for a flatmate?

In Spain, piso is the standard word for a flat or apartment, making a compañera de piso a flatmate. In Latin America, you are more likely to hear compañera de cuarto or compañera de departamento, since piso there usually just means the floor or ground.