How to Say "Where are you from?" Formally in Persian (Farsi)

Ahle koja-yin in a sentence

Real lines from the course, said by the people you meet in it.

1. Shoma ahle koja-yin?

   Where are you from? (formal)

   Module 2, lesson 9

2. Salam shoma ahle koja-yin?

   Hi! Where are you from? (formal)

   Module 2, lesson 9

3. You say

   Ahle Iran-am. Shoma ahle koja-yin?

   I'm from Iran. Where are you from?

   Module 2, lesson 10

4. Ahle koja-yin? Koja zendegi mikonin?

   Where are you from? Where do you live?

   Module 3, lesson 2

5. Bebakhshid shoma ahle koja-yin?

   Excuse me, where are you from? (formal)

   Module 6, lesson 6

What Ahle koja-yin is made of

• ahlefrom
• +kojawhere
• +-yinyou all

Ahle koja-yin is three pieces: ahle (from), koja (where) and -yin (you all).

-id is the fuller form (bebakhshid); everyday speech says -in. After a vowel -in turns into -yn: mikha-yn, bia-yn, kei mia-yn.

The ending -in is taught in Module 6, lesson 1: Excuse me?

When to say Ahle koja-yin

Ask an elder or a stranger, with Shoma in front. Friends get Ahle koja-yi?

The usual mix-up with Ahle koja-yin

Friend form and respectful form swapped

For a friend: Ahle koja-yi. For an elder: Ahle koja-yin. The polite line changes koja-yi to koja-yin.

More about Ahle koja-yin

Ahle koja-yin? is the polite way to ask where someone is from. It is Ahle koja-yi? with the respectful -in in place of the friendly -i, the same ending as Chetor-in. Say it to an elder or a stranger, with Shoma in front: Shoma ahle koja-yin? Friends get Ahle koja-yi?. It is taught in Module 2, lesson 9, in the lesson called Ask the polite way, which comes after you have practised the friendly version. The answer is the same for both: Ahle and a place, such as Ahle Iran-am, so the polite part is only in the question.

Questions people ask about Ahle koja-yin