я из
ya iz[ja ɪz]word by word
I am from in Russian is я из (ya iz), followed by the place, as in Я из Бразилии, I am from Brazil.
If you have just arrived from somewhere, Я приехал из means I came from.
What does it mean word for word?
я means I and из means from or out of.
Is it said differently in some regions?
People from Moscow may say Я москвич, I am a Muscovite. In St. Petersburg, people may call themselves питерец to stress their local identity.
How does it change in a sentence?
There is no verb for am in the present tense. из needs the genitive case, so place names change their ending after it.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ya iz.
Did you know?
- The word я for 'I' is a distant relative of the English word 'I' and the Latin 'ego', as both trace back to the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- The preposition из literally translates to 'out of', suggesting a sense of moving from the inside of a place to the outside.
- In Russian, the word из is used specifically for coming 'out of' a place, which is why it differs from other words for 'from' depending on the destination or origin.
Examples in context
- Я из Токио, Япония.I am from Tokyo, Japan.Токио, Япония names the city and then the country after Я из.Tatoeba #4310458 by soniamiku, translation #3626638 by Lindoula
- Я из Северной Кореи.I am from North Korea.Северной Кореи is North Korea in the genitive case after из.Tatoeba #6059758 by odexed, translation #6058775 by RobinvanderVliet
- Я из Бразилии, а ты?I am from Brazil, and you?а ты? means and you?, a natural way to ask back.Tatoeba #9459129 by marafon, translation #9415359 by abracadebby
- Я родом из КанадыI am originally from Canada
- Я из ФранцииI am from France
- Я родился в Германии, но мой родной город – ПарижI was born in Germany, but my hometown is Paris
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anastasia and Dmitry meet at a social gathering.
- Анастасия AnastasiaПривет! Я из России, а ты?Privet! Ya iz Rossii, a ty?Hi! I am from Russia, and you?
- Дмитрий DmitryПривет. Я из Германии.Privet. Ya iz Germanii.Hi. I am from Germany.
- Анастасия AnastasiaОчень приятно, Дмитрий.Ochen' priyatno, Dmitrii.Nice to meet you, Dmitry.
- Дмитрий DmitryВзаимно, Анастасия.Vzaimno, Anastasiiya.Likewise, Anastasia.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (я, из) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries из, я, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
