How to Say “Where Were You Born?” in French

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Où êtes-vous né ?
The English phrase "where were you born?" is translated into French as Où êtes-vous né ?
This question is used to ask someone about the place of their birth.

Which one should you use?

While Où êtes-vous né ? is a standard formal way to ask, you can also use the structure Où est-ce que vous êtes né ? to phrase the question. For more specific inquiries, Dans quelle ville êtes-vous né(e) ? asks in which city someone was born and Pouvez-vous me dire où vous êtes né(e) ? is a formal way to ask, "Can you tell me where you were born?"

How does it change in a sentence?

The spelling of the word for "born" must match the gender and number of the people being addressed. If you are speaking to one woman, the word becomes née (e.g., Où êtes-vous née ?). If you are asking a group of people, use nés for a masculine plural group or nées for a feminine plural group. In the informal form Où es-tu né(e) ?, the (e) should also match the gender of the person being addressed.

Did you know?

  • In French legal and genealogical documents, the term né is often used after a woman's current name to indicate her maiden name.
  • The grave accent on où was specifically created during the Middle French period to prevent confusion with the word ou, which means 'or'.

Examples in context

  • Où es-tu né(e) exactement ?
    Where were you born exactly?
  • T'es né(e) dans quelle région ?
    Which region were you born in?
  • Excusez-moi, mais où êtes-vous né ?
    Excuse me, but where were you born?

Example conversation

Nathan and Léa are meeting for the first time at a business conference.

  1. Nathan

    Enchanté, Léa. Où êtes-vous né ?
    Nice to meet you, Léa. Where were you born?
  2. Léa

    Je suis née à Lyon.
    I was born in Lyon.
  3. Nathan

    C'est une très belle ville.
    That is a very beautiful city.
  4. Léa

    Oui, j'aime beaucoup ma ville.
    Yes, I like my city very much.

Sources

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Hayley Lola
Hayley LolaHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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