# Where are you from?



## Ant913

*Moderator note*: mutiple threads merged to create this one.

to ask my new friend, he/her is from France, and is French, but I'm a British, I really want to know that 'where is he/her from?' how i ask him/her, thanks for your kind, 
And how i ask him/her that 'have you ever visited UK?', how i ask him/her


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## alahay

Ant913 said:
			
		

> to ask my new friend, he/her is from France, and is French, but I'm a British, I really want to know that 'where is he/her from?' how i ask him/her, thanks for your kind,
> And how i ask him/her that 'have you ever visited UK?', how i ask him/her




D'ou viens tu?
As-tu jamais ete en Grande Bretagne? or As-tu jaimais visite la Grande Bretagne?

verifiez svp. merci!


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## zam

alahay, 

1) Tu viens d'où ? OR 'Tu es d'où ?
2) Tu es déjà allé(e) au Royaume-Uni / en Angleterre ?
3) Tu as déjà visité le R-U ?


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## alahay

zam said:
			
		

> alahay,
> 
> 1) Tu viens d'où ? OR 'Tu es d'où ?
> 2) Tu es déjà allé(e) au Royaume-Uni / en Angleterre ?
> 3) Tu as déjà visité le R-U ?



1) quelle est la difference entre "tu viens d'ou?" et "d'ou viens-tu"?

2) avec "deja" ca ne devient pas "have you been to UK already"? C'est pour ca que j'ai choisi "jamais".

Merci!!


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## zam

1) Tu viens d'où ? = is more spoken language, less formal than the other one, but they're both fine of course

2) The question here is informal, so 'déjà' is the best option in this case, you wouldn't use 'jamais' here (although it could be used in a very formal context but then it'd be: 'Etes-vous jamais allé...'). Is your version 'Have you been to the UK already' AE ?


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## The Servant

1)*
D'où es-tu ?* (good form) or *Tu es d'où ?* (more informal) : you want to know the birthplace or the home (country, city, etc.) of your interlocutor.
*D'où viens-tu ?* (good form) or *Tu viens d'où ?* (more informal) : you want really know from where he comes. Birthplace and home, Ok, but NOW from where does he come from ? (school, library, cinema...)

2) You're right, but the two forms are correct.


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## Jessila

alahay said:
			
		

> D'ou viens tu?
> As-tu jamais ete en Grande Bretagne? or As-tu jaimais visite la Grande Bretagne?
> 
> verifiez svp. merci!



"jamais" is closer to "never" than to "ever".
Though like others have said, it can be used in a formal conversation... But in everyday language, it would sounds a bit like:
"have you _*n*ever _been to UK?"

Now to translate "visited" I would have stick to its french equivalent: "visité" instead of turning it into  "have been"...
Well I suppose it depends of the true meaning of the question. But going in a country doesn't necessarily imply to visit it, and discovering it... If you're on a business trip for instance, you will go but you won't see much of it.
So if the question is more focused on knowing if the other person had the occasion to travel a bit and see different parts of UK, I would rather say:

"Tu as déjà visité l'Angleterre / le Royaume-Uni ?"
or more formal : "As-tu déjà visité l'Angleterre / le Royaume Uni ?"


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## alahay

Thanks for the nicely detailed explanaitaion!


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## garavak

Hello, 
Could someone help me figure out how to say: Where are you from? Is is correct to say: Ou est-ce-que vous etes? OR Ou est-ce-que vous habitez? Thanks ....Chuck


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## la_cavalière

Where are you from: 
"D'où venez-vous?"

Where do you live:
"Où habitez-vous?"
"Où est-ce que vous habitez?"

Let's see what the native French say is the most natural way to ask "where are you from?"


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## pieanne

D'où venez-vous?
Vous habitez où?


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## garavak

Thank you all so much!!!

CHuck


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## emma42

And *où êtes vous ne(é)? *for "where are you from/where were you born?"


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## Sanda

la_cavalière said:
			
		

> Where are you from:
> "D'où venez-vous?"
> 
> Where do you live:
> "Où habitez-vous?"
> "Où est-ce que vous habitez?"
> 
> Let's see what the native French say is the most natural way to ask "where are you from?"



A native French says  !

Also où êtes-vous né(e) ? as suggested by Emma.


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## la_cavalière

Sanda said:
			
		

> A native French says  !
> 
> Also où êtes-vous né(e) ? as suggested by Emma.


 
But for many Americans, "where were you born?" is completely different than "where are you from?" because we move so much!

I was born in Minnesota, but I would never say that I was from there, as I moved when I was 18.


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## Cath.S.

la_cavalière said:
			
		

> But for many Americans, "where were you born?" is completely different than "where are you from?" because we move so much!
> 
> I was born in Minnesota, but I would never say that I was from there, as I moved when I was 18.


What I say when I talk about the South of France where I was born but where I haven't lived in decades:
_C'est là que je suis née_
_C'est de là que je viens *à l'origine*._


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## vince

In Canada, when they ask this question, they are asking for where your ethnic group comes from. If you answer "I'm from around here", they'll go "umm, I guess I mean where your parents or family come from." I don't think I've ever gotten away with just saying "I was born here". People here are always interested in learning more about foreign cultures (good), and are eager to classify you into one (bad), whether or not you perceive yourself as foreign.

If you want to ask the Canadian version of the "Where Are You From?" question, you should ask one of the following: "D'où viennent tes ancêtres?", "quel est ton groupe éthnique?" or "avec quelle culture étrangère t'associes-tu en vertue de l'éthnicité/race à laquelle tu ressembles?"


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## Cath.S.

vince said:
			
		

> In Canada, when they ask this question, they are asking for where your ethnic group comes from. If you answer "I'm from around here", they'll go "umm, I guess I mean where your parents or family come from." I don't think I've ever gotten away with just saying "I was born here". People here are always interested in learning more about foreign cultures (good), and are eager to classify you into one (bad), whether or not you perceive yourself as foreign.


In French, people would ask _tu es/vous êtes de quelle origine_ ? to know whether your parents or grand-parents were Italian, Arabic, French or whatever.


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## garavak

WOW, thanks for all the replies!!! It's amazing to me how we can all discuss this being oceans away!! You are all terrific and I thank you so much!!

Chuck


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## garavak

Could you also say: Ou est-ce que vous etes?

Chuck


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## Cath.S.

garavak said:
			
		

> Could you also say: O*ù* est-ce que vous *ê*tes?
> 
> Chuck


That means _where are you?_


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## emma42

Yes, vince, if I am interested in knowing the ethnic origin of someone in England with, say, brown skin, I will usually say "Where are your parents from?" Or even "Where are your grandparents from?"  Or sometimes "What is your ethnic origin?"  Because to ask "Where are you from" will usually elicit the response "Nottingham"!

Also, when I am asked where I am from, I will say "Corby originally, but I left there in 1972 and have now lived in Nottingham for 22 years" - a mouthful, but answers most questions!


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## vince

I see that the situation is similar in The UK as in Canada.

Does the situation apply to "white people" (for lack of a better word) as well? Or only to us native-born foreigners? (what an oxymoron!)


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## bouee

where are you from could also be : d'où êtes vous ?


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## vince

i've also heard "tu es d'où?" For the first dozen times I heard it, I thought people were asking "tu es doux?" ("Are you gentle?") which really confused me.


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## emma42

"Tu es doux/d'où?"! 

If it's a white person with a "foreign" accent I will just say, "where are you from?" because it's unlikely that they are native.


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## bouee

vince said:
			
		

> i've also heard "tu es d'où?" For the first dozen times I heard it, I thought people were asking "tu es doux?" ("Are you gentle?") which really confused me.



  

I had never realised it sounded the same !


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## JerseyRich

S'il vous plait,
Vous venez d'ou? = Where are you from

How polite is the above sentence

Merci d'avance

Richard


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## Chipolata

Hello Richard,

"Vous venez d'où" is quite colloquial, I mean, you can use it but it's not the proper way to make a question. "D'où venez-vous?" would be more adequate.


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## JerseyRich

Would you use D'où venez-vous? if you were talking to someone younger and maybe in a bar



Chipolata said:


> Hello Richard,
> 
> "Vous venez d'où" is quite colloquial, I mean, you can use it but it's not the proper way to make a question. "D'où venez-vous?" would be more adequate.


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## Chipolata

To someone younger and in a bar I would say "Tu viens d'où?" ;D


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## JerseyRich

Merci encore


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## Spiderkat

JerseyRich said:


> S'il vous plait,
> Vous venez d'ou? = Where are you from
> 
> ...


I think it's better to translate "D'où venez-vous?" as "Where do you come from?" and "D'où êtes-vous?" as "Where are you from?".


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## to_rk

Est-ce que vous habite? this translate to where do you live?

but...it should sound like 'where are you from?'

quand vous etes depuis? -- is this correct


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## lauren0187

*D'où viens*-*tu? - where do you come from*


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## fragilistic

I would translate "where are you from?" as "vous êtes d'où?" (où means where)
And "where do you live?" as "Où est-ce que vous habitez?"
your sentence is not correct. Quand means when.
Hope this helps.


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## Ms Serenah

Bonjour!
Could you translate the followings into francais for me? 

Where're you from?

[...]

S'il vous plait aider! 
Merci beaucoup ! =P


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## pbx

Et _where are you from_, en français : _D'où êtes-vous ?_


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