South American
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South American
Relating to the continent of South America, its countries, peoples, cultures, or geography; originating from there.
Die südamerikanische Fußballmeisterschaft ist immer ein spannendes Turnier.
The South American football championship is always an exciting tournament.
The adjective is formed from the geographical name 'Südamerika' (South America) and the ending '-anisch'. This ending is often used to derive adjectives from continents or countries.
Die afrikanische Tierwelt ist sehr vielfältig.
African wildlife is very diverse.
Adjectives that are derived from geographical names and end in '-isch' are written in lowercase. This is an important difference from derivations ending in '-er' (e.g. 'Schweizer Käse' — Swiss cheese).
Wir lieben südamerikanische Rhythmen.
We love South American rhythms.
The adjective is often used to describe cultural or geographical things. Common combinations are 'südamerikanische Kultur' (South American culture), 'südamerikanische Küche' (South American cuisine), 'südamerikanische Musik' (South American music), or 'südamerikanische Länder' (South American countries).
In diesem Restaurant kannst du die südamerikanische Küche probieren.
In this restaurant, you can try South American cuisine.
American
'amerikanisch' and 'südamerikanisch' can both have to do with America, but they often refer to different areas. In everyday language, 'amerikanisch' usually means the USA. It can also refer generally to the entire American continent, but without context that is less clear. 'südamerikanisch' is much more specific and refers to South America, for example to countries such as Brazil, Argentina, or Chile. Learners may confuse the words because South America is also part of America. If it is about the USA, you say 'amerikanisch'. If it is about the southern continent, you say 'südamerikanisch'.
Im Restaurant probiert sie ein südamerikanisches Gericht mit Mais und Bohnen.
At the restaurant, she tries a South American dish with corn and beans.
Für den Kurs lesen wir morgen einen amerikanischen Zeitungsartikel.
For the course, we are reading an American newspaper article tomorrow.