je viens d'amérique
je viens d'amérique is the French way to say 'I am from america'.
This phrase is used to identify the country where a person was born or grew up.
Which one should you use?
If you want to specify the United States rather than the continent of America, you must use the plural form je viens des États-Unis.
How does it change in a sentence?
The d’ is a contraction of de used before a word starting with a vowel.
Did you know?
- In France, saying je viens d'amérique often implies the person is from the United States. However, in Latin America, this phrase is seen as an imprecise way to describe one's origin because they consider the entire continent to be 'America'.
- While English speakers use the verb 'to be' to state their origin, the French phrase je viens d'amérique uses a verb meaning 'to come'. This shifts the conceptual focus from a state of being to a point of origin.
- If you use the word américain to describe yourself, you are using an adjective rather than a noun. Because French adjectives have gender, the word must change its ending to match the speaker's gender.
Examples in context
- Je viens d'Amérique, mais la France est ma seconde maison.I am from America, but France is my second home.This sentence is useful for showing how to use je viens d'amérique when adding a second clause about your connection to France.Tatoeba #8731547 by Julien_PDC, translation #5453651 by DostKaplan
- Je viens d'Amérique, de New York.I am from America, from New York.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people meeting for the first time at a party.
- ChloéSalut ! Je m'appelle Chloé. Tu es d'ici ?Hi! My name is Chloé. Are you from here?
- GabrielNon, je viens d'Amérique. Je m'appelle Gabriel.No, I am from America. My name is Gabriel.
- ChloéC'est super ! Bienvenue à la fête.That's great! Welcome to the party.
- GabrielMerci beaucoup, Chloé.Thank you very much, Chloé.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
