Odkud jsi/jste? (aka 3 different ways how to ask people in Czech where they are from + how to answer)

Where are you from? One of the most frequent questions not only from clerks, but also from friends and acquaintances…

Do Czech people ask it in the same way all the time? No, definitely not. It would be too easy, right 😉

So what are the options like?

1. FORMAL aka VYKÁNÍ

• this is the version you will hear from the clerk, doctor, teacher etc.

Odkud pocházíte?

• very formal
• = Where do you come from?

Odkud jste?

• less formal
• = Where are you from?

2. INFORMAL aka TYKÁNÍ

Odkud jsi?

• = Where are you from? (2nd person singular)

• you can also ask Odkud pocházíš? (= Where do you come from?), but it sounds very official (therefore strange, because you use the informal way = 2nd person singular)

3. REAL-LIFE CZECH

How do we really say it in real life?

To be honest, we are lazy, so when we talk among friends and in less formal situations, you may quite frequently here these versions:

Odkud [si]?

Odkud [seš]?

So now we know how to ask correctly based on the occasion.

But how can we answer correctly in Czech?

Jsem z/ze… = I am from…

You can check these slides with different countries. If your country isn’t on the list, please write me into the comments and I will add it.

Jsem z Evropy. = I am from Europe.

Jsem z Afriky. = I am from Africa.

Jsem z Asie. = I am from Asia.

Jsem z Jižní Ameriky. = I am from South America.

Jsem ze Severní Ameriky. = I am from North America.

Jsem z Austrálie. = I am from Australia.

If you want to practise it in a video with more frequent questions (and appropriate answers), you can watch this YouTube video (click here).

If you want more support, you can check my courses or individual lessons here.