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Italian · Meeting people · Elementary

How to say where you’re from in Italian

When someone asks “Di dove è?”, answer “Vengo da…” with a country, or “Sono di…” with a city. For how long you’ve been here, use the present tense with da: “Vivo qui da sei mesi”. For why you moved, keep it short: “Per lavoro” or “Per amore”.

Try it · about two minutes

At your local bar, a regular strikes up a conversation and asks where you’re from, how long you’ve lived here and what brought you.

Sound on: the new acquaintance speaks Italian. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

  1. New acquaintance

    Di dove è?

    Where are you from?

    You

    Vengo dall'Inghilterra, da Leeds.

    I’m from England, from Leeds.

  2. New acquaintance

    Com'è il posto da cui viene?

    What’s the place you come from like?

    You

    È molto diverso da qui.

    It’s very different from here.

  3. New acquaintance

    Da quanto tempo abita qui?

    How long have you lived here?

    You

    Vivo qui da sei mesi.

    I’ve lived here for six months.

  4. New acquaintance

    Che cosa l'ha spinta a trasferirsi qui?

    What made you decide to move here?

    You

    Per lavoro: la mia azienda ha un ufficio qui.

    For work: my company has an office here.

  5. New acquaintance

    Le piace stare qui?

    Do you like living here?

    You

    Sì, mi piace molto.

    Yes, I like it a lot.

  6. New acquaintance

    Parla molto bene l'italiano!

    You speak Italian very well.

    You

    Grazie, sto ancora imparando.

    Thanks, I’m still learning.

Key phrases

  • Di dove è?

    Where are you from?

  • Vengo da un altro paese.

    I come from another country.

  • Vengo da una piccola città.

    I come from a small town.

  • Com'è il posto da cui viene?

    What’s the place you come from like?

  • È molto diverso da qui.

    It’s very different from here.

  • Da quanto tempo abita qui?

    How long have you lived here?

  • Vivo qui da sei mesi.

    I’ve lived here for six months.

  • Che cosa l'ha spinta a trasferirsi qui?

    What made you decide to move here?

  • Ci ho messo un po' ad ambientarmi.

    It took me a while to settle in.

  • Parla molto bene l'italiano!

    You speak Italian very well.

Good to know in Italy

Three answers to have ready

  1. 1

    Where you’re from: vengo da… or sono di…, plus a place.

  2. 2

    How long: present tense plus da.

    I’ve lived here for six months.
  3. 3

    Why: per lavoro, per studio, per amore.

Lei, or tu?

Someone you’ve just met

Di dove è?

Where are you from?

People your age

Di dove sei?

Where are you from?

Use Lei with adults you’ve just met, especially older ones. Among people your age, tu often comes straight away.

Sono di, or vengo da

“Sono di” goes with a city: sono di Leeds. For a country, say “vengo dall’Inghilterra” or “sono inglese”.

More situations in Italian

All situations in Italian

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.