Learn Portuguese (Portugal): De onde és tu?

De onde és tu?

Where are you from?

Breakdown of De onde és tu?

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Questions & Answers about De onde és tu?

Why does this question start with De instead of just Onde?

Onde means "where", but because you are asking "where from", Portuguese puts the word de (from) at the very beginning. English often leaves "from" at the end of the sentence ("Where are you from?"), but Portuguese never ends a sentence with a preposition. It literally translates as "From where are you?".

Is it necessary to include tu at the end of the sentence?

No, you can easily drop it and just ask De onde és?. The verb form és already tells the listener that you are talking to tu (the informal "you"). Including tu here is optional and just adds a little bit of emphasis.

Can I change the word order and ask Tu és de onde? instead?

Yes! In spoken Portuguese, it is very common to keep the normal statement word order (Subject + Verb) and put the question words at the end. Tu és de onde? sounds very natural and means exactly the same thing.

Why do we use és here instead of estás?

És is a form of the verb ser, which Portuguese uses for permanent characteristics, including your origins and nationality. Even if you travel, where you are originally from does not change. If you used the temporary "to be" verb (estar), you would be asking where the person is located right now.