13 Common Ways to Say "Where Are You From" in Spanish

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How do you say, “Where are you from?” in Spanish? Learn how to ask someone where they are from quickly!

If you plan to travel or move abroad for a period of time, asking people where they are from in Spanish is going to be something you hear and use frequently.

I’ve been traveling to Spain for 20 years, and I even lived there for a while! During that time, I met lots of Spanish people and made many international friends.

The question, “Where are you from?” always comes up in the first few moments of meeting someone. It makes sense, and people will be naturally curious about where you’re from. Plus, it’s one of the most common ways to begin a conversation.

In this article, I’m going to show you 13 different ways to ask and share about where you’re from, where you grew up, what your nationality is, and more to kickstart conversations with native Spanish speakers!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Say Where Are You From in Spanish

First things first, what is the Spanish meaning of Where are you from? Let’s start with the most basic direct translation.

1. ¿De dónde eres? – Where are you from?

🔊 day dohn-day eir-aes

The most direct way to ask someone’s place of origin is with the question ¿De dónde eres? This is the equivalent of “Where are you from?” in English.

This is a very common question to ask/be asked when meeting someone new. Depending on the context, you can choose to answer with your home city, state, or country.

See how to ask Where are you from in Spanish both informally and formally, below:

—¿De dónde eres? (informal)

—Where are you from?

—Soy de America.

—I’m from America.

—¿De dónde es, Señor Garcia? (formal)

—Where are you from, Mr. Garcia?

—Soy de Barcelona.

—I’m from Barcelona.

How Do You Say Where are you from in Spanish? More Ways

In addition to ¿De dónde eres? which translates to Where are you from, you may wish to get into a deeper conversation by asking additional follow-up questions.

Here are some other ways in Spanish to ask people about where they are from.

2. ¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? – What’s your nationality?

🔊 kual es too nah-siow-naw-lee-dod

If you’re curious about someone’s nationality, you can ask, ¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? which means “What’s your nationality?”

This question is a bit formal, so you may not actually use it when meeting someone new. However, you might hear this question from a customs or border patrol officer as you enter or exit a Spanish-speaking country.

If you’re doing any legal documents for a visa or even buying a sim card for your phone, don’t be surprised if you’re asked what your nationality is!

—¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? (informal)

—What is your nationality?

—Mi nacionalidad es canadiense.

—My nationaility is Canadian.

—¿Cuál es su nacionalidad? (formal)

—What is your nationality?

—Soy canadiense.

—I’m Canadian.

3. ¿Dónde vives? – Where do you live?

🔊 dohn-day bee-behs

To ask someone Where do you live in Spanish, say, ¿Dónde vives? ¿Dónde vives? means Where do you live?

This is a rather casual question that you might ask someone to get to know them. Do they live in the same country, same, city or same neighborhood as you?

—¿Dónde vives? (informal)

—Where do you live?

—Vivo en la Calle 13.

—I live on 13th Street.

—¿Dónde vive (Usted)? (formal)

—Where do you live?

—Vivo en Texas.

—I live in Texas.

4. ¿De dónde vienes? – Where are you coming from?

🔊 day dohn-day bee-enays

A phrase that you’ll hear frequently in tourist areas is ¿De dónde vienes? Literally, it translates to “Where are you coming from?” in English. Although that does sound a bit on in English, it means something akin to “Where are you visiting us from?”

It’s typically a polite phrase that people who work in tourism will ask you to make conversation. For example, expect for people to ask you this when buying tickets at a museum kiosk, at the hotel reception desk, or when ordering at a restaurant.

¿De dónde vienes? could also imply that the person wants to know where you came from last. For example, a customs officer may want to know which country you visited before entering Spain.

—¿De dónde vienes? (informal)

—Where are you visiting from?

—Soy de los Estados Unidos.

—I’m from the United States.

—¿De dónde viene? (formal)

—Where are you coming from?

—Vivo en los Estados Unidos, pero visité Francia antes de venir aquí

—I live in the USA, but I visited France before coming here.

5. ¿De qué país eres? – What country are you from?

🔊 day key eir-aes

To ask specifically “What country are you from?” in Spanish you can say, ¿De qué país eres?

This is a good question to ask if you’re curious about where someone if from. You’ll probably get asked this question a lot, too, both in formal situations like setting up a bank account or when meeting new people.

To be even more specific, you could ask for the city, state, region, etc. For example, you can ask what city someone is from by saying, “¿De qué ciudad eres?” – What city are you from?

—¿De qué país eres? (informal)

—What country are you from?

—Soy de Irlanda.

—I’m from Ireland.

—¿De qué país es (Usted)? (formal)

—What country are you from?

—Soy de Australia.

—I’m from Australia.

6. ¿Dónde naciste? – Where were you born?

🔊 dohn-day naw-see-stay

Sometimes, asking someone where they were born will come up in conversation, especially if someone has dual citizenship or speaks multiple languages. Or, you may ask this question when you’re getting to know someone better.

It may likely come up in a formal context when doing paperwork for a visa, as well.

To ask someone where they were born in Spanish, say, ¿Dónde naciste? Naciste comes from the word nacer – to be born.

—¿Dónde naciste? (informal)

—Where were you born?

—Nací en Sudáfrica

—I was born in South Africa.

—¿Dónde nació (Usted)? (formal)

—Where were you born?

—Nací en Nueva York, pero crecí en Connecticut.

—I was born in New York, but I grew up in Connecticut.

7. ¿Qué te trae por aquí? What brings you here?

🔊 ke tay try pour ah-key

In a professional setting where you meet a lot of new people, this would be a great question to ask. You would hear about the other person’s reasons for being here which would almost automatically include a little bit about themselves, their interests or their life.

—¿Qué te trae por aquí? (informal)

—What brings you here?

—Estudio en la universidad.

—I’m studying at the university.

—¿Qué le trae por aquí? (formal)

—What brings you here?

—Acabo de empezar un nuevo trabajo en Valencia.

—I just started a new job in Valencia.

8. ¿Dónde creciste? – Where did you grow up?

🔊 dohn-day creh-see-stay

Where someone grew up can tell a lot about a person. You can ask someone where they grew up by saying, ¿Dónde creciste? in Spanish.

This is a great conversation starter because you can easily continue the conversation by asking what it was like to grow up in Germany (for example), what their favorite places or activities were as a child, and where else they have lived or traveled as an adult.

Asking questions about someone else is a great way to show your interest, and most people respond positively when they get a chance to share about themselves.

—¿Dónde creciste? (informal)

—Where did you grow up?

—Crecí en Miami, Florida.

—I grew up in Miami, Florida.

—¿Dónde creció (Usted)? (formal)

—Where did you grow up?

—I grew up on the west side of town.

—Crecí en el lado oeste de la ciudad.

9. ¿Vives aquí? – Do you live here?

🔊 bee-behs ah-key

Something people asked me a lot when I was living in Spain was, “¿Vives aquí?” If you seem comfortable with your Spanish and locals suspect you may live in Spain (or whatever Spanish-speaking country), they might ask you if you live there.

You may also be asked this question at a shop. For example, if you’re getting your phone repaired, they’ll want to know if you live there so they can assess if they can get the job done for you while you’re in the country.

—¿Vives aquí? (informal)

—Do you live here?

—Sí, vivo al final de la calle.

—Yes, I live down the street.

—¿(Usted) Vive aquí? (formal)

—Do you live here?

—Sí, vivo cerca de la iglesia grande.

—Yes, I live near the big church.

10. ¿Cuál es tu ciudad de origen? – What’s your hometown?

🔊 kual es too see-ooo-dod dey or-e-hen

Asking someone for their hometown is another way to get to know someone when speaking Spanish. To ask, “What’s your hometown?” You can say, ¿Cuál es tu ciudad de origen?

This question is a good way to start a conversation as it can lead to may follow-up questions.

—¿Cuál es tu ciudad de origen? (informal)

—What’s your hometown?

—Mi ciudad natal es Pamplona.

—My hometown is Pamplona.

—¿Cuál es su ciudad de origen? (formal)

—What’s your hometown?

—Soy de Dallas.

—I’m from Dallas.

11. ¿Eres español(a)? – Are you Spanish?

🔊 eir-aes s-pa-gnowl

You can ask someone their nationality by directly asking if they are Spanish, American, Canadian, etc. Say, ¿Eres español? to ask a male if he’s Spanish. To ask a female, say ¿Eres española?

You’ll hear this question in many different contexts when people either need to know your nationality for some sort of formality or just out of curiosity.

Plus, if people are asking if you’re Spanish in Spain, you can take it as a compliment that your Spanish is really good!

—¿Eres español? (informal to a male)

—Are you Spanish?

—Si, soy español.

—Yes, I’m Spanish.

—¿Es (Usted) española? (formal to female)

—Are you Spanish?

—No, soy americana.

—No, I’m American.

12. Me encanta tu acento. ¿De dónde eres? – I love your accent. Where are you from?

🔊 may en-con-tah too ah-sen-tow, day dohn-day eir-aes

Sometimes you hear someone with a neat accent that you just can’t place. You can find out more about them by asking them where they are from. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to add a sentence like, I love your accent, to clarify what made you curious about their origin.

To say, I love your accent in Spanish, say, “Me encanta tu acento.” Then follow up with any appropriate question from this list.

You can also say, “I don’t recognize your accent. Where are you from?” by saying “No reconozco tu acento. ¿De dónde eres?”

—Me encanta tu acento. ¿De dónde eres? (informal)

—I love your accent. Where are you from?

—Gracias, soy del norte de Inglaterra.

—Thank you, I’m from northern England.

—No reconozco tu acento. ¿De dónde es? (Usted)? (formal)

—I don’t recognize your accent. Where are you from?

—¡Me lo dicen mucho! Soy de Boston.

—I get told that a lot! I’m from Boston.

13. ¿De qué parte de los Estados Unidos eres? – Which part of the United States are you from?

🔊 day key par-tay day los es-taw-dos ooo-knee-dos eir-aes

Once you’ve established what country someone is from, you might want to narrow it down further by which part of the country. To ask which part of a certain country someone is from, ask “¿De qué parte de (country) eres?”

Or, if they have already mentioned their country, you can respond with, ¿De qué parte? This is the same as in English how we often say “Which part?”

—¿De qué parte de los Estados Unidos eres? (informal)

—Which part of the United States are you from?

—Soy de St. Louis, en Missouri.

—I’m from St. Louis, in Missouri.

—¿De qué parte de Italia es (Usted)? (formal)

—Which part of Italy are you from?

—Soy de Cerdeña.

—I’m from Sardinia.

How to Respond to Where Are You From in Spanish

When I was a Spanish Teacher, I taught my students how to respond to questions in Spanish by repeating back the same verb in the question. However, this was just to get them to learn to conjugate verbs in Spanish!

In reality, responding to “Where are you from?” and all these related questions really depends on the context of each situation. Aside from being grammatically correct, how you respond largely depends on what information you have already given or what your comfort level is.

That being said, here’s a quick list of ways to say where you are from in Spanish.

✅ Soy del Reino Unido. I am from the United Kingdom.

✅ Soy mexicano, pero crecí en los Estados Unidos. I’m Mexican, but I grew up in the United States.

✅ Soy americano. I’m American.

✅ No soy americana, soy canadiense. I’m not American, I’m Canadian.

✅ Soy argentina, pero vivo en Francia. I’m Argentinian, but I live in France.

✅ De San Antonio. From San Antonio.

✅ Soy de California, en los Estados Unidos. I’m from California, in the United States.

✅ Soy de la ciudad. I’m from the city.

✅ Mi ciudad natal es Salamanca. My hometown is Salamanca.

✅ Mi nacionalidad es española. Mi nationality is Spanish.

✅ Tengo ciudadanía americana. I have american citizenship

✅ Nací en Italia. I was born in Italy.

✅ Nací en Miami pero mis padres son cubanos. I was born in Miami but my parents are Cuban.

✅ Nací en Nueva York, pero crecí en Connecticut. I was born in New York, but I grew up in Connecticut.

✅ Crecí en Centroamérica, pero ahora vivo en Europa. I was born in Central America, but now I live in Europe.

✅ Crecí en America y por eso me considero americana. I grew up in America, so I consider myself American.

✅ Me crié en Alemania. I was raised in Germany.

✅ Vengo de Escocia, but I’m Welsh. Vengo de Escocia, pero soy galés.

✅ Vivo en Tennessee. Iive in Tennessee.

✅ Vivo cerca, en el centro. I live nearby, in the city center.

✅ He vivido siempre en España. I’ve always lived in Spain.

FAQs for Where Are You From in Spanish

How do you say, “Where are you from?” in Spanish informally?

To ask someone Where are you from in Spanish in a casual or informal setting, simply say ¿De dónde eres? This sentence uses the informal conjugation of ser – to be.

How do you say, “Where are you from?” in Spanish formally?

To ask someone Where are you from in Spanish in a formal setting, say ¿De dónde es? or ¿De dónde es Usted? This uses the formal conjugation of ser – to be. Use this with people you don’t know well or are meeting for the first time.

How do you say, “Where are you?” in Spanish?

¿Dónde estás? is how you say “Where are you?” in Spanish.

What is the meaning of ¿Cómo estás?

¿Cómo estás? is perhaps the most common greeting question in Spanish, and after hola (hello), the most used Spanish greeting. It literally translates as “how are you?”, but it implies many other things. Sometimes it isn’t even used as a proper question, but just as another way to say hi.

How do you say, “I am from?” in Spanish?

To say I am from in Spanish, you simply state, Soy de. Then, follow it up with the city, state, region, or country your are from. For example, you can say Soy de Texas. This means, I’m from Texas.

How do you say, “How old are you” in Spanish?

To ask someone how old they are in Spanish, you ask, ¿Cuántos años tienes? To respond, say, Tengo 21 años. This means, I’m 21 years old.

Conclusion: How to Ask Where Are You From in Spanish

If you came to this blog wondering, What is, “Where are you from?” in Spanish—and how do I respond when asked—I hope you’ve found everything you need in this blog post.

As one of the most common questions people ask and a great way to get to know people, you’ll definitely need to know how to say in Spanish Where are you from? the next time you visit a Spanish-speaking country.

Feel free to refer back to this post any time you need a refresher. Until then, ¡buen viaje!

Spanish Language Guides

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13 Common Ways to Say “Where Are You From” in Spanish