When learning a new language, one of the fundamental skills is being able to ask and answer where someone is from. This is especially useful when travelling and meeting new people. In this blog post, we will understand what woher kommst du means and how to answer where you are from in German. 

By the end of this text, you’ll be able to confidently discuss the topic in the language. To master the pronunciation, press play and listen to the episode while reading the article!

Woher kommst du? – askng ‘Where are you from?’ in German

After saying ‘hello’ in German and introducing yourself, you are probably looking for questions to keep the conversation going and to ask someone where they are from is a great way. 

To do that in German, you can use the phrase ‘Woher kommst du?’ which translates directly to ‘Where do you come from?’. This is the informal way of asking, suitable for conversations with friends and people of the same age group or younger than you.

For a more formal setting, such as speaking with an elder, a superior, or someone you don’t know well, you should use ‘Woher kommen Sie?’. As you are aware, the use of Sie indicates formality.

Telling where do you come from in German

Responding to the question ‘Woher kommst du?’ is quite simple. You only need to follow a straightforward structure: Ich komme aus, followed by the name of the country or city you are from.

Let’s check some examples and check some countries names: 

• Ich komme aus den U.S.A. I come from the USA.
• Ich komme aus Spanien. I come from Spain.
• Er kommt aus der Schweiz. He comes from Switzerland.
• Sie kommen aus Wien. They come from Vienna.

Notice that when you are talking about “the United States” you need the definite article den and when talking about Switzerland, you need the definite article der. But don’t worry too much about the articles and their different forms in German just yet, we will go back to it in another blog post. Other countries

To enrich your vocabulary, let’s check some more countries: 

• Schottland Scotland
• Brasilien Brasil
• Italien Italy
• Mexiko Mexico
• Österreich Austria

Nationalities in German

Another way of answering the question ‘woher kommst du?’ is by telling your nationality. You can use the structure you’ve learned for introducing yourself in German: ‘Ich bin…’. This is another way of describing your origin.

For example: 

• Ich bin Deutscher/Deutsche (masc/fem). I am German.
• Ich bin Amerikaner/Amerikanerin (masc/fem). I am American. 
• Ich bin Spanier/Spanierin (masc/fem). I am Spanish.
• Ich bin Schotte/Schottin (masc/fem). I am Scottish.
• Ich bin Portugiese/ Portugiesin (masc/fem). I am Portuguese.

With this new vocabulary, you are ready to ask ‘woher kommst du’ and answer the question when asked. What a great way to share your background and learn about others, right? 

To keep learning more about useful phrases and improving your conversation skills, check out the blog post on how to say where you live in German right now!