where are you from

English

English phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

Pronunciation

Audio (UK) (file)

Phrase

where are you from?

In which country or region were you born or raised?

Usage notes

Usage caution: this phrase has developed notoriety because in some social contexts it can insinuate nativism or ethnic prejudice (as it were tell me your ethnicity so I can decide how best to pigeonhole or other you in my mind; I suspect that you ‘don't belong here’ but I can't tell which kind of ‘foreigner’ to equate you with).

Translations

in which country or region were you born or raised

Albanian: please add this translation if you can
Apache:
Jicarilla: haʼshį́į́ nandá?
Arabic: مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ (min ʔayna ʔanta?) (to man), مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتِ؟ (min ʔayna ʔanti?) (to woman)
Armenian: (polite or plural) որտեղի՞ց եք (orteġi^?cʻ ekʻ), որտեղացի՞ եք (orteġacʻi^? ekʻ), (informal) որտեղի՞ց ես (orteġi^?cʻ es), որտեղացի՞ ես (orteġacʻi^? es)
Basque: nongoa zara?
Belarusian: адку́ль вы? (adkúlʹ vy?) (formal), адку́ль ты? (adkúlʹ ty?) (informal)
Bengali: তুমি কোথা থেকে আসছ (tumi kōtha theke aśoch)
Bulgarian: от къ́де сте? (ot kǎ́de ste?), от къ́де си? (ot kǎ́de si?) (informal)
Catalan: d'on ets?
Cebuano: taga-diin man ka?
Chichewa: mumachokera kuti?
Chinese:
Mandarin: 你是哪裡人？／你是哪里人？ (nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?), 你從哪裡來的？／你从哪里来的？ (nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái de?)
Czech: (formal) odkud jste, (informal) odkud jsi
Danish: hvor er du fra?, hvor kommer du fra?
Dutch: (informal) waar kom je vandaan?, (formal) waar komt u vandaan?
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Estonian: (formal) kust te pärit olete?, (informal) kust sa pärit oled?
Faroese: hvaðan ert tú
Finnish: mistä olet kotoisin
French: (where do you come from?) d’où venez-vous ?, d’où viens-tu ?, tu viens d’où ?, vous venez d’où ?
Galician: de onde es?
Georgian: სადაური ხარ(თ)? (sadauri xar(t)?), საიდან ხარ(თ)? (saidan xar(t)?), საიდან ხარ(თ) წარმოშობით? (saidan xar(t) c̣armošobit?)
German: (formal) woher kommen Sie ?, (informal) woher kommst du ?
Greek: (formal) από πού είστε; (apó poú eíste?), (informal) από πού είσαι; (apó poú eísai?)
Hawaiian: mai hea mai ʻoe?
Hebrew: מאיפה אתה? (me-eyfo ata?) (to man), מאיפה את? (me-eyfo at?) (to woman)
Hindi: आप कहां से हैं ? (āp kahā̃ se ha͠i ?), तुम कहां से हो? (tum kahā̃ se ho?), तू कहां से है? (tū kahā̃ se hai?)
Hungarian: (formal, chiefly for region) ön hová valósi?, (formal, for nationality) ön milyen nemzetiségű?, (formal) ön honnan származik?; (informal, chiefly for region) hová valósi vagy?, (informal, for nationality) milyen nemzetiségű vagy?
Icelandic: hvaðan ertu?, (informal) hvaðan kemurðu?, (formal) hvaðan kemur þú?
Ido: deube vu venas? (formal), deube tu venas? (informal)
Indonesian: (very formal) dari mana Anda berasal?, (proper informal) dari mana kamu berasal?, (proper informal, alternative form) dari manakah asalmu?, (colloquial informal) dari mana asalnya?, (colloquial, very informal) asalnya (dari) mana?
Italian: da dove vieni? (informal), da dove viene? (formal), di dove sei? (informal), di dov'è? (informal)
Japanese: (origin) ご出身はどちらですか (go-shusshin wa dochira desu ka?), どこから来ましたか (doko kara kimashita ka?)
Jingpho: nang kanang na rai ta, nang kara kaw na rai ta
Kapampangan: taganokarin ka? (formal), taganoka? (informal), nokarin ka ibat? (formal), non ka ibat? (proper informal, alternative form), ibat ka nokarin? (informal), taganokarin kayo? (polite), taganokarin kayu po? (polite)
Kazakh: қайдансыз? (qaidansyz?)
Khmer: តើ អ្នក មក ពី ណា (taə nĕək mɔɔk pii naa), ឯង មក ពីណា (ʼaeng mɔɔk pii naa)
Korean: 어디 서 오셨어요? (eodi-seo osyeosseoyo?)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: خەلکی کوێی؟ (xelkî kwêy?)
Lao: ເຈົ້າມາແຕ່ໃສ (chao mā tǣ sai)
Latin: unde es?
Laz: სონური რე (sonuri re)
Lithuanian: iš kur tu esi?
Macedonian: (informal) од каде си? (od kade si?), (formal) од каде сте? (od kade ste?)
Maltese: minn fejn int?
Marathi: तू कुठचा आहेस? (tū kuṭhcā āhes?), तू कुठची आहेस? (tū kuṭhcī āhes?), तुम्ही कुठचे आहात? (tumhī kuṭhce āhāt?), तुम्ही कुठच्या आहात? (tumhī kuṭhacyā āhāt?)
Mòcheno: va bou kemmt ir? (polite)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: та хаанаас ирсэн бэ? (ta xaanaas irsen be?), чи хаанаас ирсэн юм бэ? (či xaanaas irsen jüm be?)
Navajo: háadish nitsʼééʼ łeeʼ sitą́?, ąąʼ háádę́ę́ʼ?
Nepali: तिमी कहाँको हौं? (timī kahā̃ko ha͠u?)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: hvor kommer du fra?, hvor er du fra?

Nynorsk: kvar kjem du frå?, kvar er du frå?
Ojibwe: aaniindi wenjibaayan?
Old English: hwanon eart þū?
Palauan: ke chad er ker el beluu?
Persian:
Iranian Persian: اَهْلِ کُجایید؟ (ahl-e kojâyid?), اَهْلِ کُجا هَسْتید؟ (ahl-e kojâ hastid?), شُما کُجایی هَسْتید؟ (šomâ kojâyi hastid?)
Polish: skąd jesteś?, skąd pochodzisz?, skąd pan jest? (formal, to a man)skąd pani jest? (formal, to a woman)
Portuguese: de onde vens?
Romani: katar avilǎn? (singular), katar avile? (plural)
Romanian: de unde sunteţi? (formal), de unde ești? (informal)
Russian: отку́да ты ро́дом? (otkúda ty ródom?) (informal), отку́да вы ро́дом? (otkúda vy ródom?) (formal), ты отку́да? (ty otkúda?) (informal), вы отку́да? (vy otkúda?) (formal), отку́да ты прие́хал? (otkúda ty prijéxal?) (informal, to a man), отку́да ты прие́хала? (otkúda ty prijéxala?) (informal, to a woman), отку́да вы прие́хали? (otkúda vy prijéxali?) (formal)
Samoan: o (sm) fea e te (sm) sau (sm) ai
Scottish Gaelic: cò às a tha thu?
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: одакле сте? (formal), одакле си? (informal)

Roman: odakle ste? (formal), odakle si? (informal)
Seri: miixöni quih zó hant ano tiij?
Slovak: (formal) odkiaľ ste?, (informal) odkiaľ si?
Slovene: odkod si?
Spanish: ¿de dónde eres?, ¿de dónde es usted?
Swahili: unatoka wapi?
Swedish: var kommer du ifrån?, varifrån är du?, varifrån kommer du?
Tagalog: saan ka nanggaling?, saan ka nagmula?
Tetum: please add this translation if you can
Thai: คุณ มา จาก ที่ไหน (kun maa jàak tîi-nǎi?)
Tibetan: ཁྱེད་རང་ལུང་པ་ག་ནས་ཡིམ། (khyed rang lung pa ga nas yim)
Tok Pisin: yu bilong we
Tongan: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: nerelisiniz?
Ukrainian: (formal) звідки́ ви приї́хали? (zvidký vy pryjíxaly?), звідки́ ви? (zvidký vy?), звідки́ ти? (zvidký ty?) (informal)
Urdu: آپ کَہاں سے ہَیں؟ (āp kahā̃ se ha͠i?), تُو کَہاں سے ہو؟ (tū kahā̃ se ho?)
Vietnamese: bạn từ đâu đến?, bạn quê ở đâu?, bạn là người nước nào?
Yup'ik: naken anellrusit?