German · Greetings & Essentials
"Where are you from?" in German: Woher kommst du?
Woher kommst du?
Note: formal: Woher kommen Sie?
Where are you from? in German is Woher kommst du? with du. Formal speech uses Woher kommen Sie? Answer with Ich komme aus… plus city or country.
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How to pronounce Woher kommst du?
Say it
vo-HAIR komst doo
/voˈheːɐ̯ kɔmst duː/
vo-HAIR komst doo. Soft w as v. Soft eh in her. Soft du like doo.
"Where are you from?" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Woher kommst du? | Where are you from? Informal default. | Informal default. |
| Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? (formal) With Sie. | With Sie. |
| Wo kommst du her? | Where are you from? Same idea, particle her at the end. | Same idea, particle her at the end. |
| Aus welcher Stadt kommst du? | Which city are you from? More specific. | More specific. |
How to use Woher kommst du? in real life
- 1Meeting someone new
Hey, woher kommst du eigentlich?
Hey, where are you from anyway?
Full phrase Woher kommst du.
- 2Language exchange
Kurze Frage: Woher kommst du?
Quick question: Where are you from?
Keep the whole question.
- 3After hearing an accent
Dein Akzent ist schön — woher kommst du?
Your accent is lovely — where are you from?
Friendly follow-up with the full phrase.
Mistakes English speakers make with Woher kommst du?
Incorrect: Wo bist du von?
Correct: Woher kommst du?
Don't calque from; use woher + kommen.
Incorrect: Woher kommst du aus?
Correct: Woher kommst du? / Aus welcher Stadt kommst du?
Woher already covers from; don't add aus to the question.
Good to know
Woher kommst du? can mean hometown or country. Some people answer with the city, others with the region. If it feels personal, soft openers like Darf ich fragen… help, but among peers the question is normal.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Small talk at a language meetup
ChatPal
Schön dich kennenzulernen. Woher kommst du?
Nice to meet you. Where are you from?
You
Aus Hamburg. Und du — woher kommst du?
From Hamburg. And you — where are you from?
ChatPal
Aus Köln, aber ich wohne hier seit zwei Jahren.
From Cologne, but I've lived here for two years.
You
Cool. Dann woher kommst du ursprünglich, Köln?
Cool. So where are you from originally, Cologne?
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Where are you from?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Where are you from?" in German
How do you ask where are you from?
Woher kommst du?
Formal?
Woher kommen Sie?
How to answer?
Ich komme aus… + place.
City-specific?
Aus welcher Stadt kommst du?
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- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
