Откуда
If you want to know where someone has arrived from, the word you use is the interrogative adverb откуда “from where”:
| Откуда ты пришёл? Откуда ты приехал? |
Where have you come from? |
Of course answering the question is quite complex since there are at least three different words that mean ‘from’ in Russian. (If you would like a thorough overview to the to/from/at words and their use, click here.) Very often people will use the word without including a verb of motion. If they have just met you, they usually mean it in the sense of “What is your national or local origin?”
| — Откуда вы? — Я из Америки. |
“Where are you from?” “I'm from America.” |
| — Откуда он? — Он с Камчатки. |
“Where is he from?” “He is from Kamchatka.” |
| — Откуда она? — Ты не узнал по произношению? Она из Одессы. |
“Where is she from?” “Couldn't you tell by her pronunciation? She is from Odessa.” |
Откуда is often used in sentences talking about the source of someone's information. In that context it is best translated as ‘how’:
| — Откуда ты знаешь Пашу? — Мы вместе учились в школе. |
“How do you know Pavel?” “We went to school together.” |
| — Откуда ты узнала, что я попал в аварию? — Угадать не трудно. Твоей машины всю неделю не видно, и ты ходишь в гипсе. |
“How did you figure out that I was in an accident?” “It wasn't hard to figure out. Your car hasn't been around all week, and you are walking around in a cast.” |
| — Откуда ты знаешь столько русской грамматики, a я ничего не знаю? — Я каждый день готовлюсь к урокам, а ты всё тянешь до последнего момента. Другими словами, я хорошая студентка, а ты лентяй. |
“How come you know so much Russian grammar when I don't know anything?” “I do my homework every day, and you put off everything till the last moment. In other words, I'm a good student, and you are a lazy bum.” |
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