the numbers how old are you?
when is your birthday?
what year were you born?
Sezione
5
DI DOVE SEI?
Where are you
from?
(lit. "of what place are you?")
io sono Giorgio
io sono di Washington
io sono Americano
io sono Madama Butterfly
io sono di Tokyo
io sono giapponese
io sono Elisabetta
io sono di Londra
io sono inglese
Io sono di..... is used
with a city.
If you want to say you are from a country or a region you
use the related ADJECTIVE.
Why??? This is an example of how deeply a language reflects the
culture. Italians are from Italy, so when for centuries and
centuries they were asking "Where are you from" they knew
the other person was from Italy, they wanted to know WHERE
in Italy.
And since Italy is relatively small, all you need is a
reference to one of the major towns and people would know.
Now, it happens often that people volunteer more detailed
answers, like: "Sono di
un paese vicino a Milano." (I am from a small town near
Milano.)
If people wanted to leave it vague, they would refer to
the region, and use the adjective: "Sono
siciliano" (Sicilian).