Bonjour! Comment ça va? Moi, ça va bien.
Je m’appelle Pauline. Je viens de Paris. Je suis française.

Did you hear Pauline introduce herself? She said hello, told us how she was doing and said her name. What did she tell us after that? She said,

Je viens de Paris. I come from Paris.

And then she said.

Je suis française.
I am French.

When people travel or meet someone new for the first time, after introducing themselves, they often share where they are from. In this lesson, we learn how to ask where people come from and say their nationalities.

Listen to some people introduce themselves. What phrases do they use to ask and say where they are from?

Bonjour! Je m’appelle Adrian. Je suis congolais. Je viens de Afrique. D’où viens-tu?

What nationality is Adrian? He is Congolese.
Where does he come from? Africa.

Can you tell what word means come in French?
Viens

Now listen to these two students talking about where they come from.

Jack: Bonjour, Paul! D’où viens-tu?
Paul: Je viens du Texas. Et, toi? D’où viens-tu?
Jack: Je viens d’Atlanta.

Did you recognize the expression, Jack and Paul used to ask Where do you come from? D’où viens-tu?

Can you tell what expression is used to say I come from?

Listen to a conversation between Pauline and Isabelle.

Pauline: Isabelle, d’où viens-tu?
Isabelle: Je viens de Bordeaux. Et toi? D’où viens-tu?
Pauline: Je viens de Paris.

Did you recognize the expression that means I come from?
Je viens de

Where do Pauline and Isabelle come from?
Isabelle comes from Bordeaux, and Pauline comes from Paris, two cities in France.

Two friends are traveling in France. Sam asks Catherine about her cousin. See if you can tell what expression they use to ask where she comes from.

Sam: Catherine, comment s’appelle ta cousine?
Catherine: Elle s’appelle Yuki.
Sam: D’où vient-elle?
Catherine: Elle vient de San Francisco.

What expression means Where does she come from?
D’où vient-elle?

How do you say She comes from San Francisco.
Elle vient de San Francisco.

Now, see if you can tell where the following people come from.

D’où vient-elle?
Elle vient de Paris.

D’où vient-elle?
Elle vient de New York.

D’où vient-il?
Il vient de Rome.

D’où vient-elle?
EIle vient du café.

She is coming from the café.

D’où vient-il?
Il vient de l’Afrique.
Et il vient de l’école.

He comes from Africa.
He is also coming from school.

In French, the verb venir is used to say where people come from in general, but it is also used with specific places they are coming from such as a café, home, the store, or school. The verb venir can also be as a direction such a: Viens! meaning come here or come along.

Here are all the new expressions, we will be practicing in this lesson.

Je viens de I come from
Il vient de He comes from
Elle vient de She comes from
D’où viens-tu? Where do you come from?
D’où vient-il? Where does he come from?
D’où vient-elle? Where does she come from?

Learning this new vocabulary will allow you to extend the conversation when you meet other people. Complete this lesson by practicing these new expressions and putting them to use with the rest of the vocabulary you have already learned.

À bientôt! See you soon.