¿De qué país eres?
The English phrase "what country are you from?" is translated into Spanish as ¿De qué país eres?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone about their country of origin.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from de (from), qué (what), país (country) and eres (are you).
Which one should you use?
While ¿De qué país eres? specifically asks for a country, ¿De dónde eres? is a more common, broader way to ask 'Where are you from?' which could result in an answer of a city or a specific region.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the phrase ¿De qué país sos? may be used instead of ¿De qué país eres?
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are addressing a group of people, change eres to son to form ¿De qué país son? Use the form ¿De qué país es usted? to ask this question in a formal or respectful manner, such as when speaking to an elder or a stranger.
Did you know?
- The root of país comes from the Latin word pāgus, which referred to a rural district or a piece of land. This is the same root that gives us the English word 'pagan', originally meaning someone from the countryside.
- Depending on the country, a speaker might use sos instead of eres. This is a characteristic of voseo, a grammatical system used predominantly in Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Central America.
Examples in context
- Buenas tardes, señor. ¿De qué país es usted?Good afternoon, sir. What country are you from?
- Permítame preguntarle, ¿cuál es su país de origen?Allow me to ask, what is your country of origin?
- Hola, Pedro. ¿De qué país eres?Hello, Pedro. What country are you from?
- Perdona, ¿de dónde eres?Excuse me, where are you from?
- ¿De qué país eres? Soy de México.What country are you from? I am from Mexico.
- Perdón, ¿de qué país eres?Excuse me, what country are you from?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are meeting for the first time at a party.
- AlejandroHola, ¿de qué país eres?Hello, what country are you from?
- SofíaSoy de Italia, ¿y tú?I am from Italy, and you?
- AlejandroYo soy de México.I am from Mexico.
- Sofía¡Qué bien! Mucho gusto, Alejandro.That's great! Nice to meet you, Alejandro.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, eres, país, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
