Frasa
SituationsGet the app (opens the App Store in a new tab)

Spanish · Meeting people · Elementary

How to say where you’re from in Spanish

Answer “¿De dónde eres?” with “Soy de…” and your country or city. Next usually come “¿Cuánto tiempo llevas en España?” (“Llevo casi dos años aquí”) and “¿Y qué te trajo a España?” (“Vine por trabajo y al final me quedé”). Keep each answer to one easy line.

Try it · about two minutes

A new acquaintance asks where you’re from, how long you’ve lived here and what brought you.

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

The conversation

  1. New acquaintance

    ¿De dónde eres?

    Where are you from?

    You

    Soy de Escocia, de Glasgow.

    I’m from Scotland, from Glasgow.

  2. New acquaintance

    ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas en España?

    How long have you been in Spain?

    You

    Llevo casi dos años aquí.

    I’ve been here for almost two years.

  3. New acquaintance

    ¿Y qué te trajo a España?

    So what brought you to Spain?

    You

    Vine por trabajo y al final me quedé.

    I came for work and ended up staying.

  4. New acquaintance

    ¿Y qué tal te va por aquí?

    And how are you finding it here?

    You

    Me gusta mucho vivir aquí.

    I really like living here.

  5. New acquaintance

    Hablas muy bien español.

    Your Spanish is really good.

    You

    Gracias, pero todavía me queda mucho.

    Thanks, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.

  6. New acquaintance

    ¿Echas de menos tu país?

    Do you miss your country?

    You

    Echo de menos a mi familia, pero aquí estoy muy a gusto.

    I miss my family, but I’m really happy here.

Key phrases

  • ¿De dónde eres?

    Where are you from?

  • Yo no soy de aquí, soy de fuera.

    I’m not from here, I’m from abroad.

  • ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas en España?

    How long have you been in Spain?

  • Llevo casi dos años aquí.

    I’ve been here for almost two years.

  • ¿Y qué te trajo a España?

    So what brought you to Spain?

  • Antes vivía en otro país.

    I used to live in another country.

  • Vine por trabajo y al final me quedé.

    I came for work and ended up staying.

  • ¿Y qué tal te va por aquí?

    And how are you finding it here?

  • Me gusta mucho vivir aquí.

    I really like living here.

  • Echo de menos a mi familia, pero aquí estoy muy a gusto.

    I miss my family, but I’m really happy here.

Good to know in Spain

Llevo, for how long

Natural

Llevo casi dos años aquí.

I’ve been here for almost two years.

Word for word

Estoy aquí por dos años.

I’m here for two years.

Spanish uses llevar to say how long you’ve been somewhere. A word-for-word “por dos años” sounds like you’re only staying two years.

The questions that come in order

  1. 1

    Where you’re from.

    Where are you from?
  2. 2

    How long you’ve been here.

    How long have you been in Spain?
  3. 3

    What brought you, so have a one-line answer ready.

    So what brought you to Spain?

Take the compliment

People often praise your Spanish, even when you’re just starting. A modest thank-you is the usual answer.

Gracias, pero todavía me queda mucho.

Thanks, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.

More situations in Spanish

All situations in Spanish

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.