Every country has a word for its people. Many of those words end in -an: Canada → Canadian, Mexico → Mexican, Brazil → Brazilian.
Words that end in -an
Try it: Mei: My new teacher is from Mexico. Lars: Oh, so she is ___. Finish what Lars says. (Mexicoan / Mexican / Mexico) Answer: Mexican — The word for a person from Mexico is Mexican, with the ending -an. "Mexicoan" keeps the o, but that letter drops, and "Mexico" on its own is the country, not the person.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
Canadian
/kəˈneɪ.di.ən/
from Canada
Mexican
/ˈmɛk.sɪ.kən/
from Mexico
Brazilian
/brəˈzɪl.jən/
from Brazil
Other endings
Not every word ends in -an. Some end in -ese: China → Chinese, Japan → Japanese. Some end in -ish: Spain → Spanish.
Try it: Ira: The new student is from Japan. Matilda: Oh, so he is ___. Finish what Matilda says. (Japanese / Japanian / Japan) Answer: Japanese — The word for a person from Japan is Japanese, with the ending -ese. "Japanian" uses -an, but the word for a person from Japan does not take it, and "Japan" on its own is the country.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
Chinese
/ˌtʃaɪˈniːz/
from China
Japanese
/ˌdʒæp.əˈniːz/
from Japan
Spanish
/ˈspæn.ɪʃ/
from Spain
The US and the UK
Most country names take no word before them: Canada, Japan, Spain. Two names in this lesson take the: the US and the UK. Their words for people are American and British.
Try it: Yasmin: Where is your friend from? Diego: She is from ___. Finish what Diego says. (a US / the US / US) Answer: the US — In this lesson, the US and the UK are the two names that take the. "a US" uses the wrong word, and "US" on its own is missing it.
Try it: Farid: Is your teacher from the UK? Camila: Yes, he is ___. Finish what Camila says. (American / British / the UK) Answer: British — The word for a person from the UK is British. American is the word for a person from the US, and "the UK" is the country, not the person.