我来自
wǒ lái zì
In Chinese, 'I am from' is expressed as 我来自 (wǒ lái zì).
Which one should you use?
While 我来自 is formal, in casual conversation, Chinese speakers more commonly use the structure 我是 [Place] 人 to say they are from a certain place.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
我来自 is a relatively formal way to state one's origin, often used in introductions or formal speeches. In informal contexts, you can say 我是 followed by your nationality or region.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 来自 is a transitive verb that is directly followed by the place of origin without needing a preposition like 'at' or 'in'.
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ lái zì
Did you know?
- The character 自 (zì) in 来自 originally depicted a nose. In ancient Chinese, it was used to represent 'self' because people pointed to their noses when referring to themselves.
- To express where you are 'from' in terms of a professional or academic background, Chinese uses 出身 (chūshēn), which literally means 'coming out of the body'.
- Using 我来自 in a very casual setting, such as at a party, might make you sound slightly more like a news reporter than a local.
Examples in context
- 我来自中国。I am from China.This sentence shows how to use 我来自 with a country.Tatoeba #398937 by GlossaMatik, translation #1578570 by CN
- 我来自北京。I am from Beijing.This sentence shows how to use 我来自 with a city.Tatoeba #13138445 by JackyJiaqiSun, translation #13187542 by atitarev
- 我来自葡萄牙。I am from Portugal.Tatoeba #8463541 by gumblex, translation #1879775 by Asma
- 我来自加拿大。I am from Canada.
- 我来自澳大利亚。I am from Australia.
- 我来自台湾。I am from Taiwan.
- 我是香港人。I am from Hong Kong.
- 我来自英国。I am from the United Kingdom.
- 我是上海人。I am from Shanghai.
- 我来自德国。I am from Germany.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are introducing themselves on the first day of class.
- 浩然 Haoran你好，请问你来自哪里？Nǐ hǎo, qǐngwèn nǐ láizì nǎlǐ?Hello, may I ask where you are from?
- 雨婷 Yuting你好！我来自上海。Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ láizì Shànghǎi.Hello! I am from Shanghai.
- 浩然 Haoran太好了，我也是上海人。Tài hǎo le, wǒ yě shì Shànghǎi rén.That's great, I am also from Shanghai.
- 雨婷 Yuting真的吗？那太巧了！Zhēn de ma? Nà tài qiǎo le!Really? What a coincidence!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
