# Where are you? Where are you going? (where / where to)



## Dymn

*English *usually confuses "in what place" (location, e.g. _where are you?_) and "to what place" (direction, e.g. _where are you going?_)

As far as I know, both German and Russian make a systematic distinction between them. 

*German *uses _wo _for location (_wo bist du?_) and _wohin _for direction (_wohin gehst du?_). _Hin _denotes direction, especially if away from the speaker.

*Russian *on the other hand has two words from separate roots. _Gde _indicates location (_gde ty?_) and _kuda_ direction (_kuda ty ideš'?_).

Do you make this distinction in your language?

In *Catalan *hardly ever. We use _on _in both sentences (_on ets? _"where are you?" and _on vas? _"where are you going?").

In *Spanish *_dónde _is the word for "where" and sometimes _a _"to" is added to form _adónde_ and denote direction, e.g. _¿dónde estás? _vs. _¿adónde vas?_. But the difference doesn't seem as clear to me as in German and Russian.


----------



## Perseas

*Greek*
Πού είσαι; /pu 'ise/ Where are you?
Πού πας; /pu pas/ Where are you going?
Sometimes we say "προς τα πού πας;" to denote direction (literally: "to where/to which place are you going?")


----------



## ilocas2

Czech makes distinction:

_*Kde* jsi?_ - Where are you?
_*Kam* jdeš?_ - Where are you going?


----------



## Kotlas

Romanian:
*Unde* te duci? - Where are you going?
*Unde* ești? - Where are you?

Italian:
*Dove* vai? - Where are you going?
*Dove* sei? - Where are you?

Byelorussian:
*Куды* ты ідзеш? [kudy ty idzieš?] - Where are you going?
*Дзе* ты? [dzie ty?] - Where are you?


----------



## KalAlbè

*Portuguese*:
_*Onde*_ você está? - Where are you?
_*Aonde*_ você vai? - Where are you going? - Aonde (where to) with the preposition _*a*_ indicating movement to a location.
However, you will hear some Brazilians using _aonde _where _onde _would be more appropiate.
E.g. *A*_*onde*_ você mora?  - Where do you live?, instead of the appropiate: _*Onde*_ você mora?

*Haitian Creole:
Kote - *Where / Where to
No difference


----------



## AndrasBP

In Hungarian the two words are different:

*Hol *vagy? - Where are you?
*Hova *mész? - Where are you going?

Lithuanian doesn't make the distinction: 

*Kur *tu eini? - Where are you going?
*Kur *tu esi? - Where are you?


----------



## Olaszinhok

Kotlas said:


> Italian:
> *Dove* vai? - Where are you going?
> *Dove* sei? - Where are you?



In Italian, we also say:
Dove vai? Dove stai andando? - where are you going?


----------



## merquiades

French uses _où_ for both.  _Où es-tu _(_tu es où_)_?  Où vas-tu _(_tu vas où_)_?
_
English can colloquially add _to_ to the end to emphasize movement.  _Where are you going to?
_
There is a third aspect that could be added to this discussion: return movement.
German has _woher_,  Russian _отку́да_.   So in both languages there is contrast between non-movement, movement away and movement towards.  English had the word _whence _(all but dead now)


----------



## Olaszinhok

merquiades said:


> French uses _où_ for both. _Où est-tu? Où vas-tu?_



There are more options in French:

_Où vas-tu?
Tu vas où?
Où est-ce que tu vas? 
Où tu vas? 

_


----------



## merquiades

Yes, depending on how informal or classical you are.   The current one you hear in the street starts with _tu_, eliding it whenever possible, stressing the _où_ and then adding _toi_ at the end.  _T'es où toi?  T'vas où toi?_  Sometimes even _Où t'es toi?_ is possible. But people here want what is officially approved, I think.  Written and spoken French are vastly different


----------



## Sardokan1.0

*In Sardinian :*

northern Sardinian (Logudorese, Nuorese) : _In ue / uve ses?_ = (literally) Where are you?
northern Sardinian (Logudorese, Nuorese) : _A in ue / uve ses andende?_ = (literally) To where are you going?

We often reinforce the questions using the particle "Che"; shortened version of Latin "Hicce" (here, from here)

_In ue / uve che ses?_ = (literally) Where here are you?
_A in ue / uve che ses andende?_ (literally) To where from here are you going?


----------



## Dymn

merquiades said:


> There is a third aspect that could be added to this discussion: return movement.
> German has _woher_, Russian _отку́да_. So in both languages there is contrast between non-movement, movement away and movement towards. English had the word _whence _(all but dead now)


Indeed. I was going to include it too, but it just felt obvious that no language would confuse "where" and "from where". Now, I'm not sure of this. 

Catalan usually confuses _in _(location) and _to _(direction), e.g. _sóc a X _"I'm in X" and _vaig a X _"I'm going to" (see this thread). But origin on the other hand is clearly separate.

Latin _unde _(the origin of Portuguese _onde _and Catalan _on_) apparently meant "from where". And now means simply "where". On top of that Spanish added _de_, so _dónde _would be "from from where" meaning "where". Italian also _dove _"where", "from where" (_de + ubi_).


----------



## Sardokan1.0

The northern Sardinian version apparently derives from _in + ubi -> in ube -> in uve / in ue
_
While southern Sardinian instead has _"aundi" (ad + unde)
_
We find similar constructions also in Corsican language :
_
induve, induva (in + de + ube), shortened versions : duve, duva, inde, indù
unde, dunde (de unde)
_
Romanian language : _unde_


----------



## merquiades

Dymn said:


> Indeed. I was going to include it too, but it just felt obvious that no language would confuse "where" and "from where". Now, I'm not sure of this.
> 
> Catalan usually confuses _in _(location) and _to _(direction), e.g. _sóc a X _"I'm in X" and _vaig a X _"I'm going to" (see this thread). But origin on the other hand is clearly separate.
> 
> Latin _unde _(the origin of Portuguese _onde _and Catalan _on_) apparently meant "from where". And now means simply "where". On top of that Spanish added _de_, so _dónde _would be "from from where" meaning "where". Italian also _dove _"where", "from where" (_de + ubi_).


Yes, Catalan prepositions are confusing, because there is also the preposition _en_ which is used from time to time too, and it's not so logical.  _On ets?  Sóc en un restaurant._  French uses _à _in a very similar way, but _en_ only exists for feminine countries, _je suis/vais en Espagne_ (_au Portugal_), and is not used otherwise. _Je suis au restaurant._
With location questions, I think both French and Catalan are quite ambiguous, but in answers they mark the movement or lack of better than other languages with the addition of required adverbial pronouns.
_Où es-tu?  Tu es à la campagne?  Oui, j'y suis.
Où vas-vu?  Tu vas à la campagne?  Oui, j'y vais.
D'où reviens-tu?  Tu reviens de la campagne?   Oui, j'en reviens._
Russian would have three different "where" words and use three different cases, but no verb to be, and 4 to go.  German has accusative for movement towards, and dative for movement back and non-movement.


----------



## Olaszinhok

merquiades said:


> There is a third aspect that could be added to this discussion: return movement.
> German has _woher_, Russian _отку́да_. So in both languages there is contrast between non-movement, movement away and movement towards. English had the word _whence _(all but dead now)



*Italian* had *donde* but in modern Italian _da dove _is more used.
*Hungarian: honnan 
Honnan jön  *where are you from? (formal)
*Honnan  jössz? *Where are you from  (informal)


----------



## Olaszinhok

merquiades said:


> Yes, Catalan prepositions are confusing, because there is also the preposition _en_ which is used from time to time too, and it's not so logical. _On ets? Sóc en un restaurant._ French uses _à _in a very similar way, but _en_ only exists for feminine countries, _je suis/vais en Espagne_ (_au Portugal_), and is not used otherwise. _Je suis au restaurant._



In my view, Italian prepositions are also  confusing in this regard, probably more than French and Catalan:
vado *a* teatro      I'm going to the theatre
vado *al* cinema     I am going to the cinema/movies
vado *in* pizzeria
vado *alle* poste
Vado *in* banca

In my humble opinion, Portuguese and particularly Spanish (as usual) are more logical.


----------



## merquiades

Olaszinhok said:


> In my view, Italian prepositions are also  confusing in this regard, probably more than French and Catalan:
> vado *a* teatro      I'm going to the theatre
> vado *al* cinema     I am going to the cinema/movies
> vado *in* pizzeria
> vado *alle* poste
> Vado *in* banca
> 
> In my humble opinion, Portuguese and particularly Spanish (as usual) are more logical.


I have tried to understand that rule in + noun, but the only thing I can come up with is it occurs with feminine nouns:  _in gelateria, in pizzeria, in piscina, in biblioteca, in banca, in campagna_.  Could it be like the French rule for countries, but extended to common nouns?  I think the "a" could be like in Spanish, when you are talking about the action of what is occurring in the place you are headed to, not the building in itself:  _a misa, a comisaría, a palacio_.  But I see it is _in questura_ in Italian.  Probably feminine again.


----------



## Olaszinhok

merquiades said:


> I have tried to understand that rule in + noun, but the only thing I can come up with is it occurs with feminine nouns: _in gelateria, in pizzeria, in piscina, in biblioteca, in banca, in campagna_. Could it be like the French rule for countries, but extended to common nouns? I think the "a" could be like in Spanish, when you are talking about the action of what is occurring in the place you are headed to, not the building in itself: _a misa, a comisaría, a palacio_. But I see it is _in questura_ in Italian. Probably feminine again



The rule mentioned above can be considered a good starting point for the correct use of prepositions with feminine nous, but there are a few exceptions, such as:
vado alla posta/alle poste I'm going to the post office
vado alla stazione  I'm going to the railway station
vado *a *scuola
vado all'università
vado alla partita  I'm going to the (football) match and so forth.

we also say andar* a messa. *
As for questura, we can say _andare alla questura or in questura_, personally, I prefer using the first option. If you want to specify what _questura_ you are talking about you can only use _alla:_
Sto andando alla questura di Roma = I'm going to the Central Police Station of Rome


----------



## Gavril

Dymn said:


> *English *usually confuses "in what place" (location, e.g. _where are you?_) and "to what place" (direction, e.g. _where are you going?_)



Historically, the pronoun _*whither*_ meant "where to?" (e.g._ whither goest thou?_ = "Where are you going?"). Similarly, _hither _meant "here / to this place", and _thither_ "there / to that place".

_whither_ is a pretty old-fashioned word now, but I would venture to say that a lot of speakers are at least still aware of what it means.


----------



## bibax

Czech, Latin:

kde = ubi _(ubi tu Gaius, ibi ego Gaia)_
kam = quō _(quo vadis, Domine?)_
odkud = unde _(unde malum?  where does evil come from?)_
kudy = quā viā _(which way?)_


----------



## Armas

Finnish:

*Missä* olet? "Where are you?"
*Minne*/*mihin* menet? "Where are you going?"

There is another set of these words, rather old-fashioned now, but used perhaps in poetry:
*Kussa* olet? "Where are you?"
*Kunne*(/*kuhun*) menet? "Where are you going?"


----------



## kloie

serbian
where are you -gde Si.
where are you going -gde,kuda idesh.
Estonian
kus oled
kuhu lahed


----------



## Dymn

Gavril said:


> Historically, the pronoun _*whither*_ meant "where to?" (e.g._ whither goest thou?_ = "Where are you going?"). Similarly, _hither _meant "here / to this place", and _thither_ "there / to that place".


_whence - hence - thence
where - here - there
whither - hither - thither
_
Looks cool. A pity day-to-day English -partially- lost this system.



bibax said:


> Czech, Latin:
> 
> kde = ubi _(ubi tu Gaius, ibi ego Gaia)_
> kam = quō _(quo vadis, Domine?)_
> odkud = unde _(unde malum? where does evil come from?)_
> kudy = quā viā _(which way?)_


_Which way_, another related concept indeed. _Kam _vs. _kudy _would be final destination vs. the route you take. In Catalan _kudy _would be _per on_ (lit. "for where?"), the same for Spanish: _por dónde_.


----------



## Olaszinhok

[QUOTE="Dymn
_Which way_, another related concept indeed. _Kam _vs. _kudy _would be final destination vs. the route you take. In Catalan _kudy _would be _per on_ (lit. "for where?"), the same for Spanish: _por dónde_.[/QUOTE]

*Italian:* da che parte
*Da che parte è andato?* Which way did he go?


----------



## Sardokan1.0

Olaszinhok said:


> *Italian:* da che parte
> *Da che parte è andato?* Which way did he go?



Sardinian language as usual adopted another way different from the other Romance languages :

From Latin _"Ala" = wing, side unit of the Roman army, wing of a building_ -> to Sardinian _"Ala" = wing, side
_
*Italian:* Da che parte -> *Sardinian :* A cale ala (to which side)
*Italian :* Da che parte è andato? -> *Sardinian : *A cale ala ch'est andadu? (to which side did he go from here?)

similar constructions also for : 

Mettere da parte -> Ponere a un'ala (to put aside)
Dalle parti di.... -> A s'ala de..... (in the zone of....)


----------



## Gavril

Icelandic: _*hvert*_ "where to, whither".

_hvert_ looks like the neuter form of the interrogative pronoun _hver_ "who, which one", but it might have a different origin.

A different suffix pattern is seen in _hingað_ "to here, hither" and _þangað_ "to there, thither".


----------



## merquiades

Dymn said:


> _whence - hence - thence
> where - here - there
> whither - hither - thither
> _
> Looks cool. A pity day-to-day English -partially- lost this system


 Those words and other forms of archaic language are used extensively in religious liturgy.  I heard them for years not knowing what they meant.
Alternatively Shakespeare is a good source if you would like to absorb the style.




> In Catalan _kudy _would be _per on_ (lit. "for where?").


  How do you use _per on_ in Catalan?   
_Per on passas quan vas a l'escola?  Per el parc?  _ Which way do you go through when you go to school?  Through the park?    Is that the sense?


----------



## Scrawny goat

*Irish*
It's the same word. 

*Cá* bhfuil tú? Where are you?
*Cá* bhfuil tú ag dul? Where are you going?

Irish does have lots of great words for motion in a particular direction though- for another thread!


----------

