Asking Where Someone Is From

Learning about someone's origin and sharing a bit about your travels.

You
¿De dónde eres tú?
deh DOHN-deh EH-rehs too?
Where are you from?
"Eres" is the informal "you are." Use "es usted" in formal situations. With new friends, informal is usually fine.
Stranger
Soy de Colombia, de Medellín. ¿Y tú?
soy deh koh-LOHM-byah, deh meh-deh-YEEN. ee too?
I'm from Colombia, from Medellín. And you?
You
Soy de Canadá. Es mi primera vez en Latinoamérica.
soy deh kah-nah-DAH. ehs mee pree-MEH-rah vehs ehn lah-tee-noh-ah-MEH-ree-kah.
I'm from Canada. It's my first time in Latin America.
Stranger
¡Qué genial! ¿Te gusta hasta ahora?
keh heh-NYAHL! teh GOOS-tah AHS-tah ah-OH-rah?
How cool! Do you like it so far?
"¿Te gusta?" is one of the most useful phrases in Spanish. It literally means "Does it please you?"
You
¡Sí, me encanta! La gente es muy amable.
see, meh ehn-KAHN-tah! lah HEHN-teh ehs mooy ah-MAH-bleh.
Yes, I love it! The people are very kind.
"Me encanta" is stronger than "me gusta" — it means you love something. A great compliment to share about someone's country.