je viens de Nouvelle-Zélande
The English phrase "I am from new zealand" is translated into French as je viens de Nouvelle-Zélande.
This phrase is used to state that your country of origin is New Zealand.
What does it mean word for word?
The part je viens de literally means "I come from".
Did you know?
- While je viens de means 'I come from', a French speaker might respond to this by saying Enchanté, which translates to 'enchanted' rather than just 'nice to meet you'.
- The demonym Néo-Zélandais requires a capital letter when used as a noun to describe a person, but it is written with a lowercase 'n' when used as an adjective.
- The word de in this phrase descends from the Latin dē, which originally meant 'down from'.
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are introducing themselves at a party.
- LucasSalut ! Je m'appelle Lucas. Et toi ?Hi! My name is Lucas. And you?
- LéaMoi, c'est Léa. Tu es Français ?I'm Léa. Are you French?
- LucasNon, je viens de Nouvelle-Zélande.No, I am from New Zealand.
- LéaC'est super ! Bienvenue ici, Lucas.That's great! Welcome here, Lucas.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, je, CC BY-SA 4.0.
