How to Say "Where are you from" in Spanish
The most common way is ¿De dónde eres? Use ¿De dónde es usted? when you need to be formal or polite.
The most common way
¿ ?
Where are you from? This is the standard informal singular question.
How to say it: Use a rising question intonation, stress DÓN in dónde and the first syllable of EH-res, and keep the d soft rather than like an English d.
Other ways to say it
- formal
¿ ?
Where are you from? This is the polite or formal singular version.
When to use it: Use it with strangers, older people, clients, or anyone you address as usted.
- casual
¿ ?
Which part are you from? It asks for the specific region, city, or area within a place.
When to use it: Use it when you already know the country or broad area and want to know the exact part.
- direct
¿ ?
Where were you born? It often gets at origin, but it literally asks about birthplace.
When to use it: Use it in friendly conversation when birthplace is the point, not just nationality or background.
- official
¿ ?
What is your country of origin? This is formal and slightly bureaucratic.
When to use it: Use it in official, immigration, HR, or form-filling contexts.
- conversational follow-up
¿ ?
And where are you from? This is a friendly follow-up after the same question has come up.
When to use it: Use it after you have answered the question yourself or in a group conversation.
In a conversation
- A
, . ¿ ?
Hi, I'm Marta. Where are you from?
- B
, .
I'm from Peru, but I live in Chile.
- A
¿ ?
Which part of Peru?
- B
, .
From Arequipa, a city in the south.
Common mistakes
¿De dónde tú eres?→ ¿De dónde eres?In Spanish questions the subject pronoun normally comes after the verb or is left out, so tú before eres sounds wrong here.
¿De dónde estás?→ ¿De dónde eres?Origin is expressed with ser, not estar.
¿Dónde eres?→ ¿De dónde eres?The preposition de is needed to ask about origin; without it the question does not work.