Learn Italian: Da dove vieni? Vengo da Napoli. - Where are you coming from? I am coming from Naples.

Da dove vieni? Vengo da Napoli.

Where are you coming from? I am coming from Naples.

Breakdown of Da dove vieni? Vengo da Napoli.

dove

where

from, at (someone's place) / by (oneself), on one's own

Questions & Answers about Da dove vieni? Vengo da Napoli.

Why does the first sentence start with Da instead of putting it at the end like in the English translation?

In Italian, prepositions like da (from) can never be placed at the end of a sentence. You must put the preposition before the question word, so you literally ask "From where do you come?".

Are vieni and vengo from the same verb?

Yes, they both come from the irregular verb venire (to come). Vieni is the "you" form, and vengo is the "I" form. You do not need to use the pronouns tu or io because the verb endings already tell us who is doing the action.

Why is it just da Napoli and not a combined word like dal or dalla?

With names of cities like Napoli, Roma, or Milano, you just use the simple preposition da. If you were coming from a country, you would need to combine da with the word for "the", like in dall'Italia.

Does Da dove vieni? ask where I was born, or where I am traveling from right now?

It can mean either one! It is commonly used to ask someone where they grew up or what their nationality is. However, if you just walked into a room, a friend might use the exact same phrase to ask where you just came from.