Lesson 3: Asking & Stating Your Nationality & Country
Core & Everyday Vocabulary (A1)
You can now share your name and age. That's wonderful! In a city like Siem Reap, you will meet people from all over the world. This lesson will teach you how to ask where they are from and how to say where you are from.
Word Bank
| Word | Khmer | Meaning & Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Country1 | ប្រទេស | A nation with its own land and government. Example: "Cambodia is my country." |
| From2 | មកពី | Shows the place where someone starts. Example: "I am from Cambodia." |
| Where3 | នៅឯណា | Used to ask a question about a place. Example: "Where are you from?" |
| Nationality4 | សញ្ជាតិ | The word that says you belong to a country. Example: "My nationality is Cambodian." |
Usage Note: Country vs. Nationality
This is very important! A country is the place. A nationality is the word for the person.
- You ask: "Where are you from?" ➞ You answer with the Country**: "I am from France."
- You ask: "What is your nationality?" ➞ You answer with the Nationality**: "I am French."
In Conversation
Srey meets a tourist named Maria near the river in Siem Reap.
Maria: Hello! It's a beautiful day.
Srey: Yes, it is! My name is Srey.
Maria: Nice to meet you, Srey. I'm Maria. Where are you from?
Srey: I am from Cambodia. My nationality is Cambodian.
Maria: Wonderful! I am from Brazil. My country is Brazil.
Srey: Welcome to Cambodia, Maria!
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. A person from Italy is called...
- a) Italy
- b) Italian
- c) Italic
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Italian
2. Which question gets the answer "I am from Australia."?
- a) What is your nationality?
- b) Where are you from?
- c) How old are you?
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Where are you from?
3. Fill in the blank: "My ________ is Cambodian."
- a) country
- b) from
- c) nationality
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) nationality
edit Your Mission
- My Sentences: Write these two sentences in your notebook, but with your information: "I am from ______." and "My nationality is ______."
- Practice: Learn the nationality words for these countries: France (French), Australia (Australian), America (American), Japan (Japanese).
- Speak: Your mission is to ask one person "Where are you from?". Be brave!
book Lesson Glossary
- Country (noun) - Khmer: ប្រទេស - A nation with its own land and government. ↩
- From (preposition) - Khmer: មកពី - Shows the place where someone starts. ↩
- Where (adverb) - Khmer: នៅឯណា - Used to ask a question about a place. ↩
- Nationality (noun) - Khmer: សញ្ជាតិ - The word that says you belong to a country. ↩