je viens d'Angleterre
The French phrase for "I am from England" is je viens d'Angleterre.
Use this phrase when you want to state that England is your country of origin.
Which one should you use?
Je viens d'Angleterre focuses on the place of origin, whereas the phrase Je suis anglais focuses on the speaker's nationality.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Angleterre begins with a vowel, the preposition de elides into d’ to avoid a hiatus.
Did you know?
- If you say je viens d'Angleterre while in London, a French speaker might ask you which part of the country you are actually from. This is because venir de can describe both your lifelong origin and your most recent point of departure.
- French uses a capital letter for Angleterre because it is a proper noun, but it does not capitalize the adjective anglais when describing a person's nationality. This is the opposite of English capitalization rules.
- The word Angleterre is a direct descendant of the name of the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Britain.
Examples in context
- Je viens d'Angleterre.I am from England.This sentence is useful for stating that you are from England using je viens d'Angleterre.Tatoeba #10660 by Apex, translation #1879769 by Asma
- Enchanté(e), je viens d'Angleterre.Nice to meet you, I am from England.
- Je viens d'Angleterre, et toi ?I am from England, and you?
- Est-ce que tu sais que je viens d'Angleterre ?Do you know that I am from England?
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are meeting for the first time at a party.
- LéaEnchantée, je m'appelle Léa.Nice to meet you, my name is Léa.
- GabrielSalut Léa, moi c'est Gabriel. Tu habites ici ?Hi Léa, I'm Gabriel. Do you live here?
- LéaNon, je viens d'Angleterre.No, I am from England.
- GabrielAh, c'est super ! Bienvenue.Ah, that's great! Welcome.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
