Speaking About Origin In German: 4 Things You Must Know (With Examples)
DENISA
(filming a video about herself)
Hallo. Mein Name ist Denisa. Ich bin in Deutschland geboren. Meine Mutter kommt aus der Slowakei. Mein Vater kommt aus der TĂĽrkei.
(Hello. My name is Denisa. I am born in Germany. My mother is from Slovakia. My father is from Turkey.)
In this lesson we will learn how you can be speaking about origin in German.
What are the chunks you need to know? Let’s start with the basics.
1. Speaking about origin in German: Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?)
DENISA
Woher kommst du?
(Where are you from?)
SELMA
Ich komme aus der Türkei. Und  woher kommst du?
(I’m from Turkey. And where are you from?)
DENISA
Ich komme aus Deutschland.
(I’m from Germany.)
CHUNK ALERT!
Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?) is the most used question when talking about the origin. I wouldn’t necessarily ask about the origin from the start, but if you know the person better and you think they wouldn’t bother the question, you can do that.
Most of the time they will answer with Ich komme aus … (I’m from…) which means literally “I’m coming from…” but can be translated as “I’m from…”
If you check the link in the description, you’ll get our free German essential chunking kit for the most important chunks you will need in a German conversation. With these chunks from our Spring German YouTube channel, you will know the German basics for beginners.
✔️ Cheat Sheet with 53 Essential German Chunks: chunks and words you’ll hear and use in every German conversation
✔️ Tips on how to speak German WITHOUT thinking about grammar
✔️ A German Chunking Tutorial showing you the 1 technique that’ll help you make 100% of the German from our videos roll off the tongue in just 5 minutes a day (you’re probably only using 50% of our lessons’ potential right now…)
Another option to answer the question is to say Ich bin … (I am…) and then your nationality. That would look like this:
DENISA
Woher kommst du?
(Where are you from?)
SELMA
Ich bin TĂĽrkin. Und woher kommst du?
(I’m Turkish. And where are you from?)
DENISA
Ich bin Deutsche.
(I’m German.)
2. Speaking about nationalities in German: über Nationalitäten sprechen
Let’s translate some countries in German:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| TĂĽrkei | Turkey |
| Deutschland | Germany |
| Brasilien | Brazil |
| Ukraine | Ukraine |
| Syrien | Syria |
| Spanien | Spain |
| Frankreich | France |
| Polen | Poland |
| Russland | Russia |
If we haven’t named your home country, write it in the video’s comments and we’ll help you out.
If you now want to say “I’m Spanish” for example, you say Ich bin Spanier (I’m Spanish (masculine)) when you are male or Ich bin Spanierin (I’m Spanish (feminine)) when you are female.
JUAN
Ich bin Mexikaner.
(I’m Mexican.)
Amelie
Ich bin Französin.
(I’m French.)
ALEX
Ich bin Russe.
(I’m Russian.)
PAULA
Ich bin Spanierin.
(I’m Spanish.)
What if it’s a bit more complicated?
When you are from one country but your roots are from another country, just like in our case? Stay tuned, at the end of this lesson we will talk about phrases that you can use then.
3. Â Speaking about cities in German
JUAN
Ich komme aus Mexico-Stadt.
(I’m from Mexico City.)
AMELIE
Ich komme aus Paris.
(I’m from Paris.)
ALEX
Ich komme aus Moskau.
(I’m from Moscow.)
PAULA
Ich komme aus Madrid.
(I’m from Madrid.)
Of course you can also talk about your home city, not only about the country. Here are some capitals in German:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Berlin | Berlin |
| Ankara | Ankara |
| Moskau | Moscow |
| Damaskus | Damascus |
| Madrid | Madrid |
| Mexico-Stadt | Mexico City |
| Paris | Paris |
Also, maybe you were born in a city but you’re living in another one now? Same for Paula.
PAULA
Ich bin in Madrid geboren, aber lebe jetzt in Berlin.
(I was born in Madrid but I live in Berlin now.)
DENISA
Seit wann lebst du in Berlin?
(Since when do you live in Berlin?)
PAULA
Ich wohne in Berlin seit zwei Jahren.
(I’ve lived in Berlin for 2 years.)
Helpful phrases are:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich bin in Madrid geboren, aber lebe in Berlin. | I was born in Madrid, but I live in Berlin. |
| Ich lebe in Berlin seit zwei Jahren. | I live in Berlin since two years. |
| Ich wohne in Berlin seit zwei Jahren. | I live in Berlin since two years. |
Ich wohne in … (I live in…) includes that you have an apartment or house in the new city. You can also say “reside” in English.
These phrases can also be used with countries.
PAULA
Ich wohne in Deutschland seit 2021.
( I’ve lived in Germany since 2021.)
4. Where I’m from vs. where my parents are from?
DENISA
Du kommst aus der TĂĽrkei oder?
(You’re from Turkey, right?)
SELMA
Nein, ich bin in Deutschland geboren. Meine Eltern stammen aus der TĂĽrkei. Meine Wurzeln liegen in der TĂĽrkei.
(No, I was born in Germany. My parents are from Turkey. My roots are in Turkey.)
DENISA
Ach so. Cool. Wann sind deine Eltern nach Deutschland gekommen?
(Alright. Cool. When did your parents come to Germany?)
SELMA
Sie sind 1970 hierher gekommen.
(They came here in 1970.)
A lot of people get labeled because of their looks even tough they were born and raised in Germany.
If you want to talk more about how you came to Germany or why you are here, here are some phrases that can help you.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich bin in Paris geboren. | I was born in Paris. |
| Meine Eltern stammen aus Frankreich. | My parents are from France. |
| Mein Vater kommt aus der TĂĽrkei. | My father is from Turkey. |
| Meine Mutter kommt aus Syrien. | My mother is from Syria. |
| Meine Wurzeln liegen in Russland. | My roots are in Russia. |
| Ich bin seit zwei Jahren hier. | I’ve been here for two years. |
| Ich bin hier, weil in meiner Heimat Krieg herrscht. | I’m here because there’s war in my home country. |
| Ich vermisse meine Heimat. | I miss my home. |
Some are here for business, education or family.
Others have fled from war, searched for better paid jobs or had to leave their homes because of natural disasters, so please be sensitive when talking about other’s origins.
DENISA
(filming a video about herself)
Hallo. Mein Name ist Denisa. Ich bin in Deutschland geboren. Meine Mutter kommt aus der Slowakei. Mein Vater kommt aus der TĂĽrkei. Â Ich habe zwei Schwestern und einen Bruder.
(Hello. My name is Denisa. I am born in Germany. My mum is from Slovakia. My dad is from Turkey. I have 2 sisters and 1 brother.)
