Learn the key pattern to say where you're from
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| Let's take a closer look at the conversation. |
| Do you remember how Angel Salazar asks, |
| "Where are you from?" |
| Ángel: ¿De dónde es usted? |
| Let’s start with usted, a formal word meaning “you.” Usted (enunciated). Usted. |
| Before usted is es. This literally means "is," but it translates as "are," as in "are you" when using formal Spanish. Es (enunciated). Es. |
| Note: es comes from the verb, ser, meaning "to be." Ser. |
| Together, es usted. “are you” when using formal Spanish. Es usted. |
| Before this is dónde. "Where." Dónde (enunciated). Dónde. |
| And at the beginning is de, meaning "from" in this context. De (enunciated). De. |
| All together, ¿De dónde es usted? "Where are you from?" when using formal Spanish. ¿De dónde es usted? |
| 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 Mark Lee (@hero-dad) says, |
| "I'm from New York." |
| Mark Lee (@hero-dad): Soy de Nueva York. |
| First is soy. "[I] am." Soy (enunciated). Soy. |
| Note: soy is a shortened form of yo soy, “I am.” In Spanish, the yo, "I," is usually omitted. |
| Soy is from the verb ser, meaning "to be." Ser. |
| Next is de, "from" in this context. De. |
| Last is the city, Nueva York. "New York." |
| Nueva York (enunciated). Nueva York. |
| All together, Soy de Nueva York. "I'm from New York." Soy de Nueva York. |
| The pattern is |
| Soy de {CITY NAME}. |
| "I'm from {CITY NAME}." |
| Soy de {CITY NAME}. |
| To use this pattern, simply replace the {CITY NAME} placeholder with the name of your hometown. |
| Imagine you're from Sydney. In Spanish is Sídney. Sídney (enunciated). Sídney. |
| Say |
| "I'm from Sydney." |
| Ready? |
| Soy de Sídney. |
| "I'm from Sydney." |
| Soy de Sídney. |
| In Spanish, there are basically two language registers: the formal register, which is used to address strangers or people we encounter in business settings, and the informal register, which is used to talk to friends, family, and people younger than yourself. |
| When addressing a single person, there are two options. |
| Usted, when using the formal register, and |
| tú, when using the informal register. |
| Since this lesson's dialogue is between two strangers meeting for the first time, we will be using the formal register in this lesson. |
Comments
HideCan you say where you are from using the pattern introduced in this lesson?
Hola Bruno,
Thank you for sharing.
We’re happy to have you here.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Soy de Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Hola Cathryn Chang,
Thank you for sharing.
We're happy to have you here.
Please let us know if you have any questions or doubts.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Soy de Los Angeles.
Hola Kevin O'Brien,
Thank you for your comment.
We will look into this.
Please let us know if you have any questions or doubts.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
One of the questions in the assessment quiz has a wrong answer. It is the second question. The answer should be "soy", but that gets marked as wrong and the answer "hay" is said to be correct.