How to Say Where You're From

Learn how to say where you're from

Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Italian by ItalianPod101.com

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say where you're from in Italian.

For example, "I am from Miami." is

Sono di Miami.

Two passengers, Emily Erba and Paolo Parisi , are seated next to each other on a plane to Italy.

Before you hear their conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

Di dov'è?

"Where are you from?"

Di dov'è?

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Emily’s response.

Note: the speakers in this conversation use formal Italian.

Ready?

Di dov'è?

Sono di Miami.

Once more with the English translation.

Di dov'è?

"Where are you from?"

Sono di Miami.

"I am from Miami."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Paolo Parisi asks,

"Where are you from?"

Di dov'è?

First is di, meaning "from" in this context. Di. Di.

Next is dov'è, a formal phrase which translates as "Where are you?" Dov'è?

First is dove, "where." Dove. Dove.

Next is è, “you are” when using formal Italian. è. È.

Note: è is a shortened form of lei è, “you are.” In Italian, lei, “you” when using formal Italian, can be omitted when it is understood from context.

è is from the verb essere, meaning "to be." Essere.

Dove is contracted with è to form dov'è.

All together, Di dov'è? "Where are you from?"

Di dov'è?

Remember this question. You’ll hear it again later in this lesson.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how Emily Erba says,

"I am from Miami."

Sono di Miami.

First is sono. "I am." Sono. Sono.

Note: in this sentence, sono is a shortened form of io sono, “I am.” In Italian, io, “I,” is usually omitted, as it’s understood from context.

Sono is from the verb essere, meaning "to be." Essere.

Next is di, "from" in this context. Di.

Last is the city, Miami. "Miami." Miami. Miami.

All together, Sono di Miami. "I am from Miami."

Sono di Miami.

The pattern is

Sono di CITY NAME.

"I am from CITY NAME”

Sono di CITY NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the CITY NAME placeholder with the name of your hometown city.

Note: this pattern requires the name of a city, village or town. It can't be used with the names of countries.

Imagine you’re from Sydney. In Italian, Sydney. Sydney. Sydney.

Say

"I am from Sydney."

Ready?

Sono di Sydney.

"I am from Sydney."

Sono di Sydney.

Again, the key pattern is

Sono di CITY NAME.

"I am from CITY NAME”

Sono di CITY NAME.

Let's look at some examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Sono di Miami.

"I am from Miami"

Sono di Miami.

Sono di Bologna.

"I am from Bologna."

Sono di Bologna.

Sono di Seattle.

"I am from Seattle."

Sono di Seattle.

Sono di Londra.

"I am from London."

Sono di Londra.

Sono di Roma.

"I am from Rome."

Sono di Roma.

Sono australiana.

"I'm Australian."

Sono australiana.

Did you notice how the last speaker uses a different pattern?

Sono australiana. “I am Australian.” Sono australiana.

Instead of di plus the {CITY NAME} placeholder, she uses an adjective for her nationality.

This pattern is

Sono NATIONALITY.

I'm NATIONALITY.

To use this pattern, simply replace the NATIONALITY placeholder with your nationality.

Note: This pattern requires an adjective, and its gender will depend on the gender of the speaker.

Here, Mia Martin uses a feminine adjective, australiana, to describe herself.

Sono australiana.

A male speaker from Australia would use a masculine adjective, australiano, to describe himself.

Australian Male: Sono australiano. I’m Australian. Sono australiano.

You can use this response to answer the question, Di dov'è?

You should be aware of this pattern, but for this lesson, we’ll use the pattern

Sono di CITY NAME.

"I am from" CITY NAME.

Let's review the key vocabulary.

Bologna. "Bologna." Bologna. Bologna.

Seattle. "Seattle." Seattle. Seattle.

Londra. "London." Londra. Londra.

Roma. "Rome." Roma. Roma.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speakers, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say

"Miami."

Miami.

And how to say "from?"

Di.

Do you remember how Emily says,

"I am from Miami."

Sono di Miami.

Do you remember the formal way to say

"Where are you?"

Dov’è?

And do you remember how Paolo Parisi asks,

"Where are you from?"

Paolo Parisi : Di dov'è?

Di dov'è?

Do you remember how to say "London?"

Londra.

And how to say Seattle?

Seattle.

Do you remember how to say "Rome?"

Roma.

Let's practice.

Imagine you’re Jack Jones from London, or Londra in Italian.

Respond to Paolo Parisi ’s question.

Ready?

Di dov'è?

Sono di Londra.

Listen again and repeat.

Sono di Londra.

Let’s try another.

Imagine you're Emma Esposito from Seattle, or Seattle in Italian.

Ready?

Di dov'è?

Sono di Seattle.

Listen again and repeat.

Sono di Seattle.

Let’s try one more.

Imagine you're Felice Angelini from Rome, or Roma in Italian.

Ready?

Di dov'è?

Sono di Roma.

Listen again and repeat.

Sono di Roma.

In this lesson, you learned how to say where you're from in Italian. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself. Let’s review.

Do you remember how to say

"Nice to meet you."

Piacere.

And the Italian pronunciation of Emily Erba’s name?

Emily Erba.

Do you remember how Emily Erba says,

“I’m Emily Erba.”

Sono Emily Erba.

And do you remember how Emily Erba says,

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Erba."

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

Imagine you're Jack Jones , from London.

Do you remember how to pronounce "Jack Jones" in Italian?

Jack Jones

Respond to Paolo Parisi 's self-introduction and follow-up question…

Ready?

Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

Piacere. Sono Jack Jones.

Listen again, and repeat.

Piacere. Sono Jack Jones.

Do you remember how to say "London" in Italian?

Londra

Now respond that you’re from London.

Di dov'è?

Sono di Londra.

Listen again and repeat.

Sono di Londra.

This is the end of this lesson.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

Show us what you can do.

When you're ready, take your assessment.

You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.

Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

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