Learn Russian: Откуда этот студент?

In Russian, the present tense of the verb "to be" is normally left out. So instead of saying "Where is this student from?", you literally just say "From where this student?".

How does откуда differ from где?

Где means "where" when talking about a stationary location (like "Where is the house?"). Откуда specifically means "from where" and is used when asking about someone's origin or where they are traveling from. Since we want to know where the student is from, we use откуда.

Why do we use этот instead of эта or это?

Этот means "this" and it must match the gender of the noun it describes. Because студент (male student) is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form этот. If the noun were feminine, like студентка (female student), you would use эта.

Can I change the word order and say Этот студент откуда?

Yes, you can! Russian word order is very flexible. Putting the question word откуда at the beginning is the most standard and natural way to ask, but saying Этот студент откуда? is also perfectly correct and often used in casual speech.