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Where are you from?

Soy de Corea means I am from Korea; soy coreano or soy coreana says it with a nationality word.

After names, the next question is usually where you are from. The answer uses ser, the verb for lasting facts about a person, plus de (from). Two more verbs, vivir (to live) and hablar (to speak), round out this short exchange.

Asking and answering

¿De dónde eres? asks a friend where they are from; ¿De dónde es usted? is the formal version. Answer with Soy de and a place: Soy de Corea (I am from Korea), Soy de Seúl, Soy de Estados Unidos, Soy de Inglaterra. To name a city and a country, put the city first: Soy de Busan, Corea del Sur.

Nationality words

You can also give your nationality. Most nationality words have a masculine and a feminine form: coreano and coreana (Korean), mexicano and mexicana, español and española, inglés and inglesa. Some have one form for both: estadounidense (from the United States), canadiense (Canadian). Unlike English, Spanish writes nationalities and languages with a small letter: Soy coreana. Hablo inglés.

Where you live and what you speak

Vivo en means I live in: Vivo en Toronto. Hablo means I speak: Hablo coreano, inglés y un poco de español. The phrase un poco de español (a little Spanish) is useful early on, because it tells the other person what to expect.

BackgroundBe careful with americano. The RAE’s Diccionario panhispánico de dudas recommends estadounidense for people from the United States, because it is the most widely used form, and advises against using americano for them alone: in Spanish América is the name of the whole continent, and everyone who lives there is americano. Norteamericano is widely used as a synonym and accepted. The country itself is Estados Unidos, abbreviated EE. UU. with dots and a space, and the RAE says the English abbreviation USA should not be used in Spanish.

In a quick exchange the question is often shorter: ¿Y tú, de dónde eres? or simply ¿De dónde? The answer can be just as short: De Corea. Once the topic is clear, full sentences are not needed.

Nationalities you will hear

You will often be on the other side of this question, so learn a few nationalities from the Spanish-speaking world: argentino (Argentine), colombiano (Colombian), peruano (Peruvian), chileno (Chilean), cubano (Cuban), venezolano (Venezuelan). Each has a feminine form ending in a: argentina, colombiana, peruana. The word for an Argentine woman, argentina, matches the country name, Argentina, except for the capital letter. To ask where someone lives, say ¿Dónde vives? or, formally, ¿Dónde vive usted?

Korea is Corea in Spanish, and South Korea is Corea del Sur. Seoul is written Seúl.
The grey hints under each line are rough English respellings, with the stressed syllable in capitals. Treat them as a first guess and copy the recording, which uses a voice from Spain.
  • ¿De dónde eres? · Where are you from? (tú)
  • ¿De dónde es usted? · Where are you from? (usted)
  • Soy de Corea del Sur. · I am from South Korea.
  • Soy de Busan, Corea del Sur. · I am from Busan, South Korea.
  • Soy coreana. · I am Korean. (woman speaking)
  • Soy estadounidense, de Chicago. · I am from the United States, from Chicago.
  • Vivo en Madrid. · I live in Madrid.
  • Hablo inglés y un poco de español. · I speak English and a little Spanish.
¿De dónde eres?Where are you from? (tú)
Soy de...I am from...
coreano, coreanaKorean (man, woman)
estadounidensefrom the United States
inglés, inglesaEnglish (man, woman)
español, españolaSpanish (man, woman)
mexicano, mexicanaMexican (man, woman)
Corea del SurSouth Korea
Estados Unidosthe United States
vivo enI live in
habloI speak
un pocoa little

¿De dónde eres, Minji? Soy de Corea, de Seúl. ¿Y tú? Soy de México, pero vivo en Madrid. ¿Hablas inglés? Sí, y un poco de coreano.

  1. How do you ask a friend where they are from?
    • ¿De dónde eres?
    • ¿De dónde es usted?
    • ¿Dónde vives?
  2. What is the formal version?
    • ¿De dónde es usted?
    • ¿De dónde eres?
    • ¿De dónde sois?
  3. A woman from Korea says…
    • Soy coreana.
    • Soy coreano.
    • Soy Coreana.
  4. How are nationalities written in Spanish?
    • With a small letter
    • With a capital letter
    • In italics
  5. Which word does the RAE recommend for people from the United States?
    • estadounidense
    • americano
    • usamericano
  6. Why avoid americano for people from the United States only?
    • America is the whole continent
    • It is a rude word
    • It means Canadian
  7. What does vivo en mean?
    • I live in
    • I come from
    • I work in
  8. Type I speak English in Spanish.
  9. What is Corea del Sur?
    • South Korea
    • North Korea
    • Seoul
  10. Which nationality word has one form for men and women?
    • canadiense
    • mexicano
    • español
  11. Which verb is used in Soy de Corea?
    • ser
    • estar
    • vivir
Key points
  • ¿De dónde eres? / ¿De dónde es usted? Soy de Corea.
  • Nationalities in small letters: coreano, coreana, estadounidense.
  • Vivo en..., Hablo..., un poco de español.