Where Are You From In French (D’où Venez-Vous, Tu Viens D’où And More)

The first time someone in France asked me where I was from, I didn’t know they were asking where I was from. I was in a noisy bar in Lyon, and this guy leaned in and shouted: Tu viens d’où ? /ty vjɛ̃ du/ — where are you from?

My panic brain heard Tu viens demain ? /ty vjɛ̃ də.mɛ̃/ — are you coming tomorrow? So I shouted back, in heroic, completely wrong French:
Oui, je viens demain ! /wi ʒə vjɛ̃ də.mɛ̃/ — yes, I’m coming tomorrow!

He stared at me. I stared at him. Somewhere, a French textbook cried.

Later I realised this question shows up in every introduction. So in this guide we’re going to fix that. By the end, you’ll know how to ask and answer “Where are you from?” in French formally and informally, how to talk about where you’re from originally vs where you live now, and the little follow-up questions that make small talk actually feel like conversation.

Core Phrase: D’où Venez-Vous /du vne vu/ — Formal “Where Are You From?”

The formal, textbook version is:

D’où venez-vous ? /du vne vu/ — where are you from? (polite / plural)

French | IPA | English
D’où venez-vous ? | /du vne vu/ | Where are you from? (polite / plural)

You use D’où venez-vous ?:

In polite situations (meeting someone older, at a formal event, work context)
When you’re speaking to more than one person
When you want to sound extra correct and careful as a learner

Typical exchange:

D’où venez-vous ?
/du vne vu/
Where are you from?

Je viens d’Angleterre.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ d‿ɑ̃.ɡlɛ.tɛʁ/
I’m from England.

Usage note:
You’ll hear D’où venez-vous ? in more formal situations, but in everyday conversation, French people often use a more relaxed structure: Vous venez d’où ? /vu vne du/ — literally “You come from where?”

We’ll hit that next.

Everyday Small Talk: Tu Viens D’où /ty vjɛ̃ du/ And Vous Venez D’où /vu vne du/

In real life, especially with people your age, you’re more likely to hear:

Tu viens d’où ? /ty vjɛ̃ du/ — where are you from? (informal)
Vous venez d’où ? /vu vne du/ — where are you from? (polite/plural, but less formal than inversion)

These are super common in bars, parties, language exchanges, hostels—basically all the places you end up explaining yourself as “the foreigner.”

You might also hear:

Tu es d’où ? /ty ɛ du/ — (literally) you are from where?
Vous êtes d’où ? /vu zɛt du/ — you are from where? (polite)

They all mean the same thing. The verb just changes: venir /və.niʁ/ — to come vs être /ɛtʁ/ — to be.

If you want one single, safe default for casual conversation:
Tu viens d’où ? /ty vjɛ̃ du/ is perfect when you’re on tu terms.

How To Answer: Je Viens De… /ʒə vjɛ̃ də/ vs Je Suis De… /ʒə sɥi də/

Now for your side of the conversation.

Two main ways to say “I’m from…”:

Je viens de… /ʒə vjɛ̃ də/ — I come from…
Je suis de… /ʒə sɥi də/ — I am from…

Both are correct. Je viens de… is slightly more common when answering d’où questions, but Je suis de… is also very natural.

Countries

Grammar gremlin:
The preposition changes with the country and its gender:

de /də/ for feminine or some countries without article: Je viens de France.
du /dy/ for masculine countries: Je viens du Canada.
des /de/ for plural: Je viens des États-Unis.

At this level, you don’t need to master all the rules yet. Learn your own country and 2–3 others you talk about often.

Cities

Easy mode: for cities, you usually use de /də/:

If your city starts with a vowel, de stays de (in fast speech it can blend a bit, but you don’t have to write an apostrophe):

French | IPA | English
Je viens de Austin. | /ʒə vjɛ̃ d‿ɔ.stin/ | I’m from Austin.

“Where Are You From” vs “Where Do You Live”

French makes a pretty clear distinction between:

Where you’re from originally
Where you live now

This is where learners (hello) get mixed up.

Where Do You Live Now?

Answers:

Clarifying “Originally”

If you want to ask where someone is originally from:

Answers:

Follow-Up Questions: Take The Conversation Past One Sentence

Once “Where are you from?” is done, French people rarely just stare and walk away. Here are useful follow-ups to sound less like a form and more like a person.

Your side of the conversation:

Usage Notes: Sound Less Textbook, More Human

A few common points where learners wobble:

Mixing up “venir” and “habiter”
- Tu viens d’où ? — Where are you from? (origin)
- Tu habites où ? — Where do you live? (current place)
  They’re different questions. If someone says Tu viens d’où ? and you answer J’habite à Paris, it sounds like you dodged the origin question.
Overusing the hyper-formal D’où venez-vous ?
It’s correct, but you’ll sound like a news presenter at a house party. Vous venez d’où ? feels more normal in many situations.
Forgetting to bounce the question back
Super easy way to keep things going: just add et toi ? /e twa/ — and you? or et vous ? /e vu/ — and you? at the end of your answer.

Je viens d’Irlande. Et toi ?
/ʒə vjɛ̃ diʁ.lɑ̃d e twa/
I’m from Ireland. And you?
Panicking about country prepositions
At beginner level, it’s totally fine to memorise 3–4 sentences that actually apply to your life, e.g.:
- Je viens de… [country]
- Je viens de… mais j’habite à… [country + city]
You can clean up the grammar later; for now, communicative > perfect.

Mini Dialogues: “Where Are You From?” In Real French

Dialogue 1: At A Party

Salut, moi c’est Hugo. Tu viens d’où ?
/sa.ly mwa sɛ y.ɡo ty vjɛ̃ du/
Hi, I’m Hugo. Where are you from?

Je viens d’Australie. Et toi ?
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dos.tʁa.li e twa/
I’m from Australia. And you?

Moi, je suis de Lille, mais j’habite à Lyon maintenant.
/mwa ʒə sɥi də lil mɛ ʒa.bit a ljɔ̃ mɛ̃.tə.nɑ̃/
Me, I’m from Lille, but I live in Lyon now.

Tu aimes bien Lyon ?
/ty ɛm bjɛ̃ ljɔ̃/
Do you like Lyon?

Dialogue 2: First Day In Class (Polite Version)

Bonjour, vous venez d’où ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ vu vne du/
Hello, where are you from?

Je viens des États-Unis, de New York.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ dez e.ta.z‿y.ni də nju jɔʁk/
I’m from the United States, from New York.

D’accord, bienvenue en France alors !
/da.kɔʁ bjɛ̃.və.ny ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s a.lɔʁ/
Alright, welcome to France then!

Merci beaucoup.
/mɛʁ.si bo.ku/
Thank you very much.

Dialogue 3: Clarifying Origin vs Current Home

Tu habites ici ?
/ty a.bit i.si/
Do you live here?

Oui, j’habite à Marseille, mais je viens du Brésil à l’origine.
/wi ʒa.bit a maʁ.sɛj mɛ ʒə vjɛ̃ dy bʁe.zil a l‿ɔ.ʁi.ʒin/
Yes, I live in Marseille, but I’m from Brazil originally.

Ah, tu viens d’où au Brésil ?
/a ty vjɛ̃ du o bʁe.zil/
Oh, where in Brazil are you from?

Je viens de São Paulo.
/ʒə vjɛ̃ də sãw pa.u.lo/
I’m from São Paulo.

Quick Reference: “Where Are You From?” Toolkit

Five-Minute Practice Plan: Own Your Origin Story In French

Write Your Real Answer
Write one sentence for where you’re from and one for where you live now (even if they’re the same place):
- Je viens de…
- J’habite à…
  Read them out loud five times.
Question-Answer Ping-Pong
Say each question out loud, then answer as yourself:
- Tu viens d’où ?
- Tu habites où ?
- Tu es de quelle origine ?
  Keep your answers short and repeat each pair twice.
Add “Et Toi ?”
Practice full mini-exchanges:
- Je viens de… Et toi ?
- Je viens des États-Unis, mais j’habite à… Et vous ?
  This “and you?” is what makes you sound socially fluent.
City & Country Drill
Pick three cities and three countries you care about (where friends or family live). Make six sentences:
Je viens de… / Je suis de… / J’habite à… and read them out loud.
Mirror Party Simulation
Stand in front of a mirror and run this sequence without stopping:
- Salut, moi c’est… Tu viens d’où ?
- Answer as someone else.
- Then answer as yourself.
  You’re basically speed-running the first 20 seconds of every French small-talk moment.

From “Uh… Train… Where?” To Smooth Origin Small Talk

Once you’re comfortable with D’où venez-vous ?, Tu viens d’où ? and your go-to Je viens de… answer, introductions in French stop feeling like an exam and start feeling like an actual conversation. You can ask where people are from, explain your own story, and even throw in a casual Et toi ? like you’ve been doing this in French for years. For a language learner yak, that’s the moment you stop being “the foreigner who nods” and become “the foreigner who actually talks back.”