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Small talk & introductions

How to Say “Where Are You From?” in Turkish

The usual way to say “Where are you from?” in Turkish is Nerelisin? It is informal: for friends, family and people your own age. Below are 4 alternatives (formal, neutral), how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Nerelisin?

Literally
“where-from + you are”
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Informalfor friends, family and people your own age

How Nerelisin? is built

  1. nerewhere
  2. -li-from (origin suffix -lI)
  3. -sinyou are
Grammar guideTurkish Word-Building Suffixes -lı, -sız, -cı and -lık: With, Without, Job and Thing →Grammar guideTurkish Question Words: Ne, Nerede, Nasıl, Kim, Neden & Kaç →Grammar guideTurkish Ablative Case (-den / -dan / -ten / -tan): Origin, Source & Comparisons →

Other ways to say “Where are you from?”

  • Nerelisiniz?Formal

    “where are you from? (polite)”

    To adults you don’t know.

  • Nereden geliyorsun?Neutral

    “where are you coming from?”

    Can also ask about your journey.

  • Aslen nerelisin?Informal

    “where are you originally from?”

    Turks often ask about family roots.

  • Memleketin neresi?Informal

    “where is your hometown?”

    A classic question among Turks.

How to reply

  • İngiltere'denim.

    I’m from England.

  • Amerikalıyım.

    I’m American.

  • İstanbulluyum.

    I’m from Istanbul.

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Türkçen çok iyi! Nerelisin?

    Your Turkish is very good! Where are you from?

  2. B

    Teşekkürler, Kanada'danım.

    Thanks, I’m from Canada.

Related phrases

All phrases →
I’m from Englandİngiltere'denimNeutralWhat is your name?Adın ne?InformalHow long have you been in Turkey?Ne zamandır Türkiye'desin?InformalWelcome to TurkeyTürkiye'ye hoş geldinizNeutral

More small talk & introductions

Go deeper

GuideSen vs Siz: Formal and Informal Turkish, Plus Bey, Hanım, Abi and Abla

“Where are you from?” in Turkish: FAQ

How do you say “Where are you from” in Turkish?

The most common way is Nerelisin? (literally “where-from + you are”), which is informal: for friends, family and people your own age. You will also hear Nerelisiniz (“where are you from? (polite)”): to adults you don’t know.

How do you reply to Nerelisin?

Typical replies are İngiltere'denim. (“I’m from England.”) and Amerikalıyım. (“I’m American.”).

What does each part of Nerelisin mean?

nere = where; -li- = from (origin suffix -lI); -sin = you are. The suffix -li/-lı/-lu/-lü means “from, of”: İstanbullu, Ankaralı, İzmirli.

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