Nationalities and Countries

Understanding “Ser de” for Talking About Origin in Brazilian Portuguese

In Brazilian Portuguese, we use the phrase ser de to talk about where someone is from. This structure is simple and important when you want to express your or someone else’s origin.

Let’s explore how to use ser de and when to choose the right preposition (de, da, do).

Conjugation

Eu sou
Ele, ela, você é
Nós somos
Eles, elas, vocês são

1. Basic Structure: Ser de

The phrase ser de means “to be from” in English. When you want to say where someone or something comes from, you use this structure.

For example:

• Eu sou de Paris. – I am from Paris.
• Ela é de São Paulo. – She is from São Paulo.
• Nós somos de Londres. – We are from London.

In these examples, ser de is used with cities. You always use de with city names. It’s that simple!

2. Using da and do for Countries or States

When talking about countries, states, or specific regions, the preposition de changes depending on the gender of the word. In Portuguese, nouns like country names can be masculine or feminine. This affects how we use de.

• Use da (de + a) for feminine nouns.
• Use do (de + o) for masculine nouns.

Here’s how it works:

Da (Feminine)

• Eu sou da França. – I am from France.
• Ela é da Espanha. – She is from Spain.

In these cases, França and Espanha are feminine, so we use da.

Do (Masculine)

• Eu sou do Brasil. – I am from Brazil.
• Ele é do México. – He is from Mexico.

Here, Brasil and México are masculine, so we use do.

Special Cases: Countries with Plural Names

Some countries have plural names, like Estados Unidos (United States). In these cases, we use dos (de + os) for masculine plural and das (de + as) for feminine plural.

Examples:

• Nós somos dos Estados Unidos. – We are from the United States.
• Elas são das Filipinas. – They are from the Philippines.

Summary

• Use de for cities: Eu sou de Paris (I am from Paris).
• Use da for feminine countries/states: Eu sou da França (I am from France).
• Use do for masculine countries/states: Eu sou do Brasil (I am from Brazil).
• Use dos/das for plural names: Eu sou dos Estados Unidos (I am from the United States).

Practice:

Complete the sentences with the correct form of ser de:

1. Eu ______ ______ França. (I am from France.)
2. Ele ______ ______ México. (He is from Mexico.)
3. Nós ______ ______ Japão. (We are from Japan.)
4. Elas ______ ______ Espanha. (They are from Spain.)
5. Você ______ ______ Nova York? (Are you from New York?)

Answers:

1. Eu sou da França.
2. Ele é do México.
3. Nós somos do Japão.
4. Elas são da Espanha.
5. Você é de Nova York?

If you have any questions, comment here.