GERMAN LESSON 3: How to say "I come from.." in German 🇩🇪🇪🇸 🇸🇾🇺🇸

Summary

This educational video script teaches viewers how to ask and answer the question 'Where are you from?' in German. It distinguishes between formal and informal versions of the question, with 'Woher kommen Sie?' for formal settings and 'Woher kommst du?' for casual conversations. The script explains the literal meanings of the words and emphasizes the importance of capitalizing 'Sie' for formal address. It also demonstrates how to respond to both versions of the question using 'Ich komme aus...' followed by the country's name. The video promises to cover country names and pronunciations in a future video, encouraging viewers to comment their origins and ask questions.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The video discusses how to ask and answer the question 'Where are you from?' in German.
• 👨‍🏫 There are two ways to ask the question in German: formally and informally.
• 🎩 The formal way to ask is 'Woher kommen Sie?', which translates to 'Where do you come from?' in a respectful manner.
• 👫 The informal way to ask, used among peers or close acquaintances, is 'Woher kommst du?', meaning 'Where do you come from?' in a casual context.
• 🔤 The word 'Woher' means 'where from', and 'kommen' means 'come', with 'Sie' being the formal 'you' and 'du' the informal 'you'.
• 🌍 When answering, regardless of formality, you use 'Ich komme aus...', followed by the name of the country you're from.
• 🇺🇸 For countries like the United States, which is plural in German, you say 'aus den USA'.
• 🇪🇸 Examples given include 'Ich komme aus Spanien' (I come from Spain) and 'Ich komme aus Frankreich' (I come from France).
• 📹 A future video will cover the pronunciation and names of most countries in the world in German.
• 📝 The video ends with an invitation for viewers to comment their origin and ask further questions.

Q & A

What is the formal way to ask someone where they are from in German?

The formal way to ask someone where they are from in German is 'Woher kommen Sie?' which translates to 'Where are you from?'

What does the word 'Woher' mean in the context of the formal question?

'Woher' in the formal question 'Woher kommen Sie?' means 'where from'.

How do you address someone formally in German?

In German, you address someone formally with 'Sie', which is a formal 'you'.

What is the informal way to ask someone where they are from in German?

The informal way to ask someone where they are from in German is 'Woher kommst du?'

What is the significance of the capital 'S' in 'Sie' when used in a formal context?

The capital 'S' in 'Sie' is significant as it denotes the formal 'you' in German. Without the capitalization, it would mean something else.

How do you respond to both the formal and informal questions about your origin in German?

To respond to both the formal and informal questions, you would say 'Ich komme aus...', followed by your country of origin.

What is the difference between saying 'Ich komme aus Deutschland' and 'Ich komme aus den USA'?

The difference is that 'Deutschland' is singular and does not require an article, whereas 'USA' is plural in German, so you say 'aus den USA'.

Can you provide an example of how to say 'I come from Spain' in German?

To say 'I come from Spain' in German, you would say 'Ich komme aus Spanien'.

What does the verb 'kommen' change into when used informally?

When used informally, the verb 'kommen' changes to 'kommst' to match the informal 'you' (du).

Are there any special rules for using articles with country names in German?

Most countries in German do not require an article, but for plural countries like the United States, you use 'aus den'.

Will there be a follow-up video that includes the names and pronunciations of various countries in German?

Yes, there will be a follow-up video that will cover the names and pronunciations of most countries in the world in German.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Learning to Ask 'Where Are You From?' in German

This paragraph introduces the German language's formal and informal ways of asking someone about their origin. The formal question is 'Woher kommen Sie?', which translates to 'Where do you come from?' in English, and is used with people you don't know well or who are older. The informal version is 'Woher kommst du?', used with peers and younger individuals. The paragraph explains the literal meaning of each word in the phrases and emphasizes the importance of capitalizing 'Sie' in German to denote formality. It also touches on how to answer these questions, regardless of formality, by using 'Ich komme aus...' followed by the country of origin. Examples are given for countries like Germany, the United States, Spain, and France, noting the use of articles in German for plural countries like the USA.

Keywords

💡Formal

In the context of the video, 'formal' refers to the use of language that adheres to the standard rules of grammar, syntax, and politeness, especially when addressing someone older or not well-acquainted with. The video script illustrates this with the formal German question 'Woher kommen Sie?', which is used to ask someone where they are from in a respectful manner. The use of 'Sie' with a capital 'S' emphasizes the formality, as it is the formal pronoun for 'you' in German.

💡Informal

The term 'informal' in the video script contrasts with 'formal' and is used to describe a more casual and relaxed way of speaking, typically with peers, friends, or family. An example of this is the informal German question 'Woher kommst du?', which is a less formal way of asking someone where they are from. The use of 'du' instead of 'Sie' indicates a more personal and less formal interaction.

💡Conjugation

Conjugation, as mentioned in the video, is the alteration of a verb's form to match the subject of a sentence. In the video, the verb 'kommen' (to come) changes its form based on the subject pronoun. For instance, 'kommen' becomes 'kommen Sie' in the formal 'Woher kommen Sie?' and 'kommst' in the informal 'Woher kommst du?'. This is a fundamental aspect of German grammar and is essential for learners to master to communicate effectively.

💡Pronoun

A pronoun in the video script is a word that takes the place of a noun, often to avoid repetition. The script discusses the use of 'Sie' (formal 'you') and 'du' (informal 'you') in German. These pronouns are crucial for conveying respect and social distance in conversation. The video emphasizes the importance of using the correct pronoun to match the level of formality required in a given situation.

💡Country

The term 'country' is used in the video to refer to the nation or place of origin of a person. When answering the questions 'Woher kommen Sie?' or 'Woher kommst du?', one would use the phrase 'Ich komme aus...' followed by the name of the country, such as 'Deutschland' for Germany or 'den USA' for the United States. This is a common way to express one's nationality or place of origin in German.

💡Article

In the video, 'article' refers to a word that precedes a noun to indicate its grammatical role in a sentence. The script points out the use of the definite article 'den' before 'USA' in 'aus den USA'. This is because 'USA' is a plural noun in German, and the definite article must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Articles are an integral part of German grammar and affect the meaning of a sentence.

💡Plural

The concept of 'plural' in the video script is used to describe the form of nouns that indicate more than one of something. The video explains that when referring to countries like the United States, which is treated as a plural entity in German, the noun takes a plural form and requires a corresponding plural article, such as 'den' in 'aus den USA'. Understanding plural forms is essential for accurate communication in German.

💡Politeness

Politeness is a social skill emphasized in the video script, particularly in the context of language use. It is shown through the choice of formal or informal language when addressing others. The video suggests that using formal language, such as 'Woher kommen Sie?', is a way to show respect and maintain politeness, especially when interacting with individuals who are older or in a position of authority.

💡Language Learning

Language learning is the overarching theme of the video, as it aims to teach viewers how to ask and answer questions in German. The script provides examples of formal and informal questions, verb conjugation, and the use of articles, all of which are crucial aspects of learning a new language. The video serves as an educational resource for those interested in improving their German language skills.

💡Cultural Context

Cultural context is implicitly discussed in the video script through the emphasis on formal and informal language use. Understanding the cultural norms of a language is as important as learning the grammar and vocabulary. The video helps viewers navigate social interactions in German-speaking countries by teaching them how to appropriately address people based on their relationship and social status.

Highlights

Introduction to the importance of learning how to ask 'Where are you from?' in German.

Explanation of the formal and informal ways to ask the question in German.

Formal question structure: 'Woher kommen Sie?'

Literal translation and breakdown of 'Woher kommen Sie?'

Importance of capitalizing 'Sie' in formal German.

Informal question structure: 'Woher kommst du?'

Explanation of the change from 'kommen' to 'kommst' in the informal version.

How to answer both formal and informal questions in German.

Standard response structure: 'Ich komme aus...'

Example of answering 'I come from Germany' in German.

Difference in article usage for countries like the United States in German.

Pronunciation and usage of 'aus den USA' for the United States.

General rule for most countries not requiring an article in German.

Examples of responding from Spain and France in German.

Announcement of an upcoming video featuring country names in German.

Short summary of how to ask 'Where are you from?' formally and informally in German.

Encouragement for viewers to comment their origin and ask further questions.

Closing remarks and sign-off.

Transcripts

Hallo, alle zusammen . Hello everybody today

We are going to talk about a very important question in German and how to answer that question and the question is where are

Where are you from?

So in German to ask this question you have two possibilities

The first one is formally and the other one is informal

formally you use it with people you don't know very well and who are older than you and

Informally you can use it for people who are about the same age as you and like friends and family and so on

[alright], so let's go first for the

Formal version the formal version would be [Woher kommen Sie?] this means where are you from?, formally

[Woher kommen Sie?]

so literally [Wo] means "where" [her] means "from"

then [kommen] means to "come" and

[Sie] is "you" formal, so [Woher kommen Sie?] where from come you?

[Sie] with a capital "S" don't forget that that's very important because otherwise it means something else in German

so now

To ask somebody who is about the same age as you or like well?

You wouldn't maybe ask your friends and family where they are from because you already know

But let's say somebody of the same age you're in a party in Germany enjoying yourself and now you want to ask them

where are you from what you would say is [Woher kommst du?]

So the same start [Woher] Where from

[kommst] So changes a little bit, it has now an [st] instead of the [en] at the end [kommst]

[du] and [du] is informal with a small [d] yeah, it's the informal you [Woher kommst du?]

So now comes the easy part how do you answer these questions you answer both questions

No matter if you're talking to somebody older then you, or the same age as you, you answer them in the same way

So what you would say is

[Ich komme aus...

Whatever your country is, for example: I would say [Ich komme aus..]

Deutschland, I come from Germany

so maybe you are from let's say the united states. You would say,

[Ich komme aus..]

[den USA]. Maybe you notice there is a little difference

So now we have without [den USA] because the united states is plural and in German

It's also plural so you would say [aus den USA] you need an article in this case

but don't worry most of the countries in the world don't have an article in German,

Another example is [Ich komme aus.. Spanien] What does that mean? Maybe you can guess? yes,

I come from Spain or [Ich komme aus.. Frankreich] I come from France!

Yeah, and I will make another video with all the country, well not all the countries of the world

but most of the countries in the world and

So you can see how to pronounce your own country and you can learn other country names and this video will be right here

but most of the countries [in] the world and

So you can see how to pronouce your own country and you can learn other country names and this video will be right here

Once it's done ok you will find the link

Short summary, short short short short summary, how to say where are you from in a formal way?

Do you remember you would say [Woher kommen Sie?]

so now how would you say it in an informal manner? you would say, [Woher kommst du?]

and how would you answer those two questions you would say [Ich komme aus...]

And you see already the verb [kommen] changes depending on the person

but we will talk about this in the video

And you see already the verb common changes depending on the person

But [we] will talk about this in the video

conjugation of folks [ok] whew

that's it for today post in the comments where you are from and

Yeah, ask me anything. You would [like] to know and this topic is pretty easy, isn't it I open

Ok oh, I'm sure