How do you respond to "Where are you from?"

I've seen this come up a lot on some expat facebook pages as well as Reddit more recently. Some of us may have moved around a lot more than others and some of consider our current location more of a home now than others.

My thoughts were more that I think sometimes we over-think those questions and maybe feel overwhelmed by the idea of providing a truthful history that may incorporate SEVERAL locations across the globe when the person asking just isn't expecting that level of detail and a "well I was born *x-place* but have been living in *y-place* for the last *so-and-so* years" would suffice.

My response is to keep it brief and say "I'm originally from the US but live in England now" (answer slightly varies depending on where I am, who's asking, and how much I can be bothered LOL. Sometimes, if I'm in another country for example, I will just say "England" when a person asks where are you from and I don't want to further the conversation or make things more complicated because of language barriers).

Do you tend to keep it brief or do you feel like you want to give a more exact answer? Asking here because I'm genuinely curious to see what the different responses are but don't want to ask in those other spaces as I will probably be told off for it coming across the wrong way in light of the fact the topic has been active recently.

A lot of people have asked, "which state are you from?" Or "where are you from in the States ?" Like they know already. I have a pretty southern accent so I guess it isn't confused with Canadian or something like that. But if people ask me where  I'm from I've been saying, "I'm from Louisiana but j live in Swindon now"

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I reply more or less like you if I want the Convo brief. I always assume the person doesn't really care about background (or at least not the whole story) unless they keep asking.

Here in England I say I'm from the US. Most of the time they ask where from the US. I say Florida. Convo finished.

When I go on holiday I still say I'm from the US but live in England. I say this because I've had people tell me I don't sound British. You don't say...

At work people tend to dig deeper as they can hear I sound American but still have a slight Spanish accent. That's because I was born and grew up in Puerto Rico (speaking Spanish) and didn't move to Florida until college/uni.

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A lot of people have asked, "which state are you from?" Or "where are you from in the States ?" Like they know already. I have a pretty southern accent so I guess it isn't confused with Canadian or something like that. But if people ask me where  I'm from I've been saying, "I'm from Louisiana but j live in Swindon now"

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I think when I first moved, people almost always assumed I was from the US, but as my accent (Boston, might I add, so not necessarily pleasing to the ears for some LOL) died down, I got questions about where I was from and I'd say "originally the US" and they'd respond with "Oh you had a bit of a twang so I wasn't sure if you were Canadian". I even had people - off the back of that - ask if I was offended as an American being asked if I was Canadian......I'd reply with "not at all, it's similar enough in many ways I s'pose" (plus, it takes a lot to offend me in general) and I genuinely had responses of "Oh, because I know a Canadian would be offended if you asked them if they were American"..........Uh....oh...kayy......? What do you say to that?!

LOL now I can mostly fly under the radar. I guess I sound like I'm from Bristol/West Country - or so I'm told. I still get asked where I'm from but when I say "originally? From the US." I get a "Oh! some words you did have a twang which is why I asked, but I thought West Country/Bristol! You don't sound American!". I then have some people telling me I still don't sound English while others comment on how English sounding I've become since they first met me. I don't even know anymore hah

I reply more or less like you if I want the Convo brief. I always assume the person doesn't really care about background (or at least not the whole story) unless they keep asking.

Here in England I say I'm from the US. Most of the time they ask where from the US. I say Florida. Convo finished.

When I go on holiday I still say I'm from the US but live in England. I say this because I've had people tell me I don't sound British. You don't say...

At work people tend to dig deeper as they can hear I sound American but still have a slight Spanish accent. That's because I was born and grew up in Puerto Rico (speaking Spanish) and didn't move to Florida until college/uni.

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Yeah if I can tell they don't really want my life story and it's just a quick question in passing (like at work), I'll say " From the US originally" (because I am told I now have an accent, the conversation rarely stops there). If they press to ask where in the US, I will typically say Boston over Massachusetts because they are more able to place Boston than the state as a whole, oddly enough.

When abroad, if I want to keep it brief and it's my husband and I being asked, I say England or UK.  If I'm in England and somebody asks in passing and I can't be bothered I will tell them the name of the village I live in.

At most, it's just as I said in my original post of "Originally from the US but live in England/UK/here now" and avoid going further into detail unless pressed (which can sometimes happen now because they are curious why I don't sound like a 'typical american'.)

I tend to go 'From the US, from Massachusetts, but have been here for 11 years' as my standard line. 

I tend to go 'From the US, from Massachusetts, but have been here for 11 years' as my standard line.

My question to you - as you've been here for 11 years - is have you been told you've developed a hybrid accent or do people still tell you that you sound like you're from the US?

All depends on the context of the question.

Travelling:  Near London.  Let's face it, people don't know much about the UK outside of London.  I just say I live nearby.

In the UK, out of the house:  Wokingham.  Ha!

At my house/work/kid's school:  American.  If they do, "I knew that, I mean where in the US?"  Then I say I grew up in Florida but moved here from Colorado after being there for many years.

I can always tell when someone's been to Colorado because they get all excited.  People who haven't been to Colorado think Florida is the bee's knees.  And Florida is paradise.  But Colorado is spectacular. 

And yeah, I tell people I've been here for 8 years and have a life sentence.

My question to you - as you've been here for 11 years - is have you been told you've developed a hybrid accent or do people still tell you that you sound like you're from the US?

Having officially met Jimbo.  17ish years here and he sounds straight off the plane.  Only with volume in check.  And a definite hint of the Carolinas in there.

I don't have a regional American accent; I sound like the guy reading the list of side effects on a drug ad. Over 10 years in the UK, most of the people who ask have figured out I'm North American and are smart enough not to automatically guess America or Canada, so I go with:

"Texas, but we moved around a lot when I was a kid, which is why I just have a generic American accent."

If they start asking follow up questions (How did you wind up in the UK?, etc) I'm happy to get into specifics.

My question to you - as you've been here for 11 years - is have you been told you've developed a hybrid accent or do people still tell you that you sound like you're from the US?

Americans, English, Chinese, Australian, Indian, and Canadian people think I sound Scottish.
Scottish people say I sound American. 

 

Having officially met Jimbo.  17ish years here and he sounds straight off the plane.  Only with volume in check.  And a definite hint of the Carolinas in there.

That's a whole separate topic that I could go on for ages about as I always find it fascinating how some people can adapt their accents (even unknowingly) quicker and more seamless than others.

Americans, English, Chinese, Australian, Indian, and Canadian people think I sound Scottish.
Scottish people say I sound American. 

 

hahah I had the same until more recently where it's only a handful of people (that I know personally and hadn't just happened across on a night out or something) tell me that I sound American to them but I think that's just because they hadn't heard me when I first came here so it's been more subtle of a chance for them.

LOL now I can mostly fly under the radar. I guess I sound like I'm from Bristol/West Country - or so I'm told. I still get asked where I'm from but when I say "originally? From the US." I get a "Oh! some words you did have a twang which is why I asked, but I thought West Country/Bristol! You don't sound American!".

Okay, as someone from the West Country I'm gonna have to hear you speak now .

Okay, as someone from the West Country I'm gonna have to hear you speak now .

My very British husband was talking to her for about 45 minutes until he figured out she was American when she said erbs instead of herbs.    She's assimilated. 

I don't have a regional American accent; I sound like the guy reading the list of side effects on a drug ad. Over 10 years in the UK, most of the people who ask have figured out I'm North American and are smart enough not to automatically guess America or Canada, so I go with:

"Texas, but we moved around a lot when I was a kid, which is why I just have a generic American accent."

If they start asking follow up questions (How did you wind up in the UK?, etc) I'm happy to get into specifics.

I don't have a regional accent either. Mine's just standard middle of the road. Though my mom just told me this weekend that I'm getting a British accent. Haha.

And I saw from the US and Colorado. Though that sometimes gets misheard as Canada. Haha.

I tell 'em I'm from Glasgow. (Unless I'm IN Glasgow.)   If they ask further, and they usually do, I'll add but that before that I lived in the USA. If they ask where, I just say that I moved around a lot, but the last place was California. Everyone seems to have visted California. Or are just about to do so.

People tend to think we are from Canada, usually. Not quite sure about why that is. I go out of my way to supress both my East Coast and my Texas accents and maintain a very neutral USA one. (Both will pop up unexpectedly - especially if I've been talking with someone  or watching a movie where  "dey sound like dat"  or Tommy Lee Jones.)