de dónde eres
/de donde eɾes/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "where you are from" is de dónde eres.
This phrase is used to ask someone about their place of origin or nationality. When answering, the standard response is to use Soy de… followed by your country or city. If you wish to informally state that you are from the current location, you can say Yo soy de acá.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes depending on who you are addressing. Use de dónde eres for an informal singular "you", de dónde es usted for a formal singular "you" and de dónde son when asking a group of people where they are from. Additionally, note that in Spanish, the words de and el combine to form the contraction del (of the / from the).
Did you know?
- The word eres is actually a linguistic fossil from the future tense. While it is used in the present tense to mean 'you are', it originally comes from the Latin future tense form eris, meaning 'you will be'.
- When answering Soy de…, some speakers may add de pura cepa to indicate they are from a place's 'true' or 'original' lineage.
- If you are asking a group of people where they are from in Spain, you might hear de dónde sois instead of de dónde son. The latter is also correct but is much more common in Latin America.
Examples in context
- Soy de MéxicoI am from Mexico
- Soy de América del SurI am from South America
- Vengo de EspañaI come from Spain
- Vengo de América CentralI come from Central America
- Yo soy de acáI am from here
- Soy español/aI am Spanish
- Soy colombiano/aI am Colombian
- Soy del PerúI am from Peru
- Soy de México y soy mexicano/aI am from Mexico, and I am Mexican
- ¿De qué parte?Which part?
- ¿En qué ciudad?In which city?
- No sé de dónde eres.I don't know where you are from.
- ¿De dónde eres tú?Where are you from?
- Dime de dónde eres.Tell me where you are from.
Example conversation
Two people meeting at a social event.
- JavierHola, ¿de dónde eres?Hi, where are you from?
- ElenaSoy de Italia, ¿y tú?I am from Italy, and you?
- JavierYo soy de España.I am from Spain.
- Elena¡Qué bien, Javier!That's great, Javier!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, dónde, eres, CC BY-SA 4.0.
