If you've ever been in a Chinese taxi, you've been asked this question, even if you didn't understand it at the time. In fact, being asked where one is from is such a common question we've decided to devote an entire lesson just to it. So join us in this beginner lesson and before long you'll be inventing new and exciting background stories each time you take a trip across town. Yes sir, I am a nuclear scientist from Kazakhstan.

Note: it's been a while since we've had a dedicated speaking practice lesson, so we've enabled our voice recording service for this lesson. If you're a premium subscriber click through to our text page and grab our telephone hotline and your personal PIN number. Call us up and leave us a message in Chinese when prompted: record yourself either practicing the dialogue or speaking extemporaneously using this vocabulary or telling us a story. Our teachers will get back to you in a day or two with personal feedback on how you're doing.
jim.veseley
 said on
December 29, 2009
Good podcast guys. I often told little fibs about where I was from when asked, largely because I was tired of being asked for my opinion on Bush whenever I'd tell anyone I was American (I suppose it's all about Obama now though).

It was actually very useful for language practice, although somewhat embarrassing when I didn't know the names of cities in my country and had to be told.
LanZi
 said on
December 29, 2009
@jim.veseley

Glad that you liked it.

I am tired of being asked the name of my hometown, too. It is a small town that nobody's ever heard of, but people were always so insistent on getting the name, especially after I said "it's a small town you wouldn't know". Then after I gave the name, they would say "...yea never heard of it".

I will probably lie next time when asked, or say "the place has no name".
Brendan
 said on
December 30, 2009
It's funny; about halfway through the Bush administration I started to put a bit more effort into this sort of conversation -- it seemed important at the time that people know that a majority of Americans were sane grown-ups.
piotr.latawiec
 said on
December 31, 2009
The map you display with this lesson is the Europe of XIXth century. Where, the hell, did you get it?

Please, bear in mind, that we are in XXI century now and there are many countries existing today which freed themselves from the occupation of three superpowers: Russia, Kingdom of Prussia, and Austro-Hungarian Monarchy; at that time, which by the way, are not existing themselves any longer.

Piotr from Poland
paglino9
 said on
December 31, 2009
When they ask "Where are you from?" you can say "I'm from the XIXth Century"
trevelyan
 said on
January 1, 2010
Quick eye Piotr... we take some of the photos ourselves, and license others from a stock photo service. This is a licensed photo, and looks like a photo of an old globe that predates WWI. Interesting stuff. :)
vincentelecornu
 said on
April 2, 2010
People are complaining about the map of Europe in the corner? Sure, it's outdated, but as a student of European history, I can assure you the map of Europe 100 years from now will also be completely different. It's Europe!
mushroomclou87
 said on
June 3, 2010
Hi Guys

Great work on the site here. I just started Chinese night classes and this is a great supplement for my learning. I look forward to looking through your site.

xiexie!
Echo
 said on
June 6, 2010
@mushroomclou87,

Thanks!

Welcome to the site! 欢迎你！Please feel free to leave a comment on the site or write to me if you have any questions or suggestions about the site.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com

Fire69
 said on
October 1, 2010
In the vocabulary-section of this lesson, shouldn't there be a rén after Aòdàlìyà?
ary_loka_muxos
 said on
October 2, 2010
Hey my name is Emily,

I really think Echo should stop saying " yeah, right, mh huh, correct, exactly" everytime the guy says something. Because if he is saying it it is for a reason.
trevelyan
 said on
October 2, 2010
@ary_loka_muxos,

She's crying! You made Echo cry!

Bad bad bad bad!

;)

--david

whybuy7
 said on
October 3, 2010
I think Eco should yell "wrong!" randomly while Brendon is talking.
chadyanpitre
 said on
October 6, 2010
@ary_loka_muxos,

Your comment is not only insensitive, it is NONSENSICAL.

edit: sorry if this seems rude, but I am serious: this is meant to be more of a live teaching / podcast mode, which is an organic approach to teach language as you might in a classroom setting, rather than the boring, highly polished (and usually crappy) learning materials that are already out there.
vallynn
 said on
August 18, 2018
Interesting to see the first post regarding being asked about Bush.

I went to China two years ago just before the presidential election, so then it was always, 'What do you think about Trump?'

I also planned that if I was at a bargaining market and asked where I was from, I was going to reply with Mexico so the shopkeepers wouldn't think I was rich. I have some Hispanic blood and can pass for being Hispanic based on looks. The only trouble would have been if I encountered someone who spoke Spanish. My Spanish is terrible - my Chinese is better than my Spanish.