Saying Where You Are From and Which Languages You Speak in Spanish

Saying where you are from in Spanish

To say where you are from, use Soy de… — I am from… followed by the name of a country or place.

• Soy de Estados Unidos. — I am from the United States.
• Soy de Inglaterra. — I am from England.
• Soy de Canadá. — I am from Canada.
• Soy de Australia. — I am from Australia.

At this stage, treat Soy de… — I am from… as a complete pattern. You do not need a full explanation of the verb ser yet. The important point is that de introduces your place of origin.

Asking where someone is from

To ask another person where they are from, use ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?

• ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?
• Soy de Canadá. — I am from Canada.

This question asks about origin, not about someone’s name. Compare the functions of the questions you already know:

• ¿Cómo te llamas? — What is your name?
• ¿Cómo estás? — How are you?
• ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?

Each question asks for a different kind of information, so listen carefully to the key words before answering.

Saying which language you speak

To say which language you speak, use Hablo… — I speak… followed by the language.

• Hablo inglés. — I speak English.
• Hablo español. — I speak Spanish.
• Hablo francés. — I speak French.
• Hablo alemán. — I speak German.

For now, learn Hablo… — I speak… as a ready-made pattern. A later lesson will teach present-tense verb forms in detail.

Keeping countries and languages separate

A country and a language are not the same type of information. Use Soy de… — I am from… with a place of origin, and Hablo… — I speak… with a language.

• Soy de Estados Unidos. — I am from the United States.
• Hablo inglés. — I speak English.
• Soy de Canadá. — I am from Canada.
• Hablo inglés y francés. — I speak English and French.

Do not try to build nationality tables yet. Nationalities and a wider set of country and language names come later in the course. In this lesson, the goal is simply to distinguish where you are from from which language you speak.

Adding origin and language to a first introduction

You can now extend the introductions from earlier lessons by adding one place and one language.

Person A: Hola. — Hello.

Person B: Hola. — Hello.

Person A: ¿Cómo te llamas? — What is your name?

Person B: Me llamo Emma. — My name is Emma.

Person A: ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?

Person B: Soy de Inglaterra. — I am from England.

Person A: Hablo inglés. — I speak English.

Person B: Mucho gusto. — Nice to meet you.

You can also give the information about yourself directly.

Soy Daniel. Soy de Australia. Hablo inglés. — I’m Daniel. I am from Australia. I speak English.

Using a second language in a simple introduction

If you speak more than one language, you can mention both in one short phrase. You do not need to explain how well you speak each language yet.

• Hablo inglés y español. — I speak English and Spanish.
• Hablo inglés y francés. — I speak English and French.

The goal is simply to identify the language or languages you speak, not to describe your level.

Keeping the exchange clear when you miss a detail

If you do not understand the country or language someone says, use the repair expressions you already know instead of guessing.

Person A: Soy de Canadá. — I am from Canada.

Person B: Otra vez, por favor. — Again, please.

Person A: Canadá. — Canada.

Person B: Gracias. — Thank you.

This keeps the exchange moving while helping you confirm the information.

From origin and languages to expressing wants and needs

You can now say where you are from, mention a language you speak, and ask another person about their origin. The next lesson adds two very useful patterns for saying what you want and what you need in Spanish.