저는 ~에서 왔어요
jeoneun ~eseo wasseoyo
The English phrase "I am from" can be expressed in Korean as 저는 ~에서 왔어요 (jeoneun ~eseo wasseoyo).
You replace the tilde (~) with the name of the place you are from.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 저는 ~에서 왔어요 breaks down into 저 (I, polite), 는 (topic marker), ~에서 (from) and 왔어요 (came).
Which one should you use?
While 저는 ~에서 왔어요 means "I came from ~", you can also use 저는 (place) 출신입니다 to state more formally that you are a native of a specific place. Additionally, you can say 저는 (place) 사람입니다 to mean "I am a (place) person."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 저는 ~에서 왔어요 is polite. For formal situations, you can use 저는 (place) 출신입니다 or 저는 (place) 사람입니다. In informal settings, you can use 나는 (place) 출신이야, 나는 (place) 사람이야 or 나 ~에서 왔어.
How does it change in a sentence?
The tilde (~) in the phrase 저는 ~에서 왔어요 acts as a placeholder for the name of a country, city or place.
How do you pronounce it?
jeoneun ~eseo wasseoyo
Did you know?
- While 사람 means 'person', calling yourself a 미국 사람 (American person) is the most natural way to state your nationality, as Korean lacks a separate set of adjectives for nationalities like 'American' or 'British'.
- Depending on the region, some speakers may use the dialectal form ~에서 왔심더 instead of ~에서 왔어요, which signals a strong connection to the Gyeongsang province in the southeast of Korea.
- The term 출신 (chulsin), used in the more formal version of this phrase, is often used in professional settings to discuss one's educational background or alma mater. It is not limited to geographical birthplace.
Examples in context
- 나는 미국 출신이야.I am from the United States.
- 나는 서울 사람이야.I am from Seoul.
- 전라도 출신이에요.I am from Jeollado province.
- 경상남도 사람입니다.I am from Gyeongsangnamdo province.
- 저는 일본 출신이에요. 저는 일본 사람입니다.I am from Japan.
- 나는 중국 출신이야. 나는 중국 사람이야.I am from China.
- 안녕하세요? 제 이름은 [이름]이고 [place] 출신입니다.Hello! My name is [name], and I am from [place].
