The "from" question...

DublinArnie · 23-10-2013 08:38PM #1

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question

. Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

UCDVet · 23-10-2013 08:40PM

Nobody actually cares. They are just making small talk. Say whatever you want.

stoneill · 23-10-2013 08:41PM

DublinArnie wrote: »

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

I bet it's Dublin, though.

DublinArnie · 23-10-2013 08:42PM

stoneill wrote: »

I bet it's Dublin, though.

What gave it away?! :eek:

23-10-2013 08:42PM

The place I lived for most of my life.

I lived with my parents til I was 17, then I lived in a few different places, and I've been living in the current place for 7 years.

I always say "I'm from (Place I grew up) but living in (place I live) for the last few years"

If I stay here long enough I'll end up being "from" here but that won't be for many many years.

Eeden · 23-10-2013 08:44PM

This one gets me as well. Born UK, lived in USA until aged 11, Galway (mostly) since then. Parents Irish. I usually say Galway, but people don't believe me as I still sound a bit American.

marshbaboon · 23-10-2013 08:44PM

UCDVet wrote: »

Nobody actually cares. They are just making small talk. Say whatever you want.

This. When I ask that question the reality is if I could care any less as to what the answer is I'd fade into oblivion

DoozerT6 · 23-10-2013 08:44PM

Deleted User wrote: »

The place I lived for most of my life.

I lived with my parents til I was 17, then I lived in a few different places, and I've been living in the current place for 7 years.

I always say "I'm from (Place I grew up) but living in (place I live) for the last few years"

If I stay here long enough I'll end up being "from" here but that won't be for many many years.

Yep that sounds about right

The Dagda · 23-10-2013 08:44PM

DublinArnie wrote: »

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

I'll tell you what sounds stupid...

BOOGLES!

MadsL · 23-10-2013 08:45PM

I give where I live...

There's a pause. Then "No, where are you really from..."

I then have to give my life story apparently...

Rasheed · 23-10-2013 08:50PM

The place my parents are from, the place I was born and the place I live is the same place. The life of a home bird I suppose.

clairefontaine · 23-10-2013 08:52PM

I don't get asked this in the US.

In Ireland every single god damned day.

I want to tell hem I'm from up your ass.

Nodin · 23-10-2013 08:53PM

DublinArnie wrote: »

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

Produce a large detailed picture of an elderly persons vagina and say "here".

The Backwards Man · 23-10-2013 08:53PM

I tell them what planet I'm from.

MadsL · 23-10-2013 09:00PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I tell them what planet I'm from.

⸮sraM

Jimoslimos · 23-10-2013 09:02PM

The fusion of a male and female gamete.

Seachmall · 23-10-2013 09:39PM

I just say where I've lived for most of my life, although sometimes I'll inform them I was born in Dublin because for some reason I get my Dub accent back every now and then (particularly when I've a bit of booze in me).

To avoid this confusion I ask "Where you from?" when I want to know where they're living and "Where's that accent from?" if I notice an accent that suggests they originally lived elsewhere.

OneArt · 23-10-2013 09:59PM

Get asked it a lot in Germany when they notice something funny about my accent. If I say Ireland, it's all, "Oh, Irland, schoene Insel, Guinness, warste je in den Irish Pub, blah blah blah" and then they proceed to speak to me in as broken English as is my German. F*cking sick of it, learned to just say I'm English and that shuts most people up because they don't care about England.

stefan idiot jones · 23-10-2013 10:02PM

A loving womb.

Legs.Eleven · 23-10-2013 10:15PM

I was born in Drogheda but am too embarrassed to tell anyone about that (only spent a few days there

) although it's on and will be on my feckin' passport 'till I die (:mad:), so I say Dublin as it's where I spent most of my life.

Up da bleedin' Dubs. A True Blue, that's me. Brenin's Bret.

Taday's bret.....taday!

anncoates · 23-10-2013 10:51PM

I say Dublin generally because I've lived here two thirds of my life but I was born and lived in Manchester (to Irish parents) before here so I'll mention that if more detail is required.

23-10-2013 10:54PM

I was born in one place, but didn't live there long enough to generate any lasting memories, so I just tell them I'm from the place I grew up.

delw · 23-10-2013 10:58PM

Q : Where are you from?
A : Dublin
Q : What part?
A : All of me

* I'll get my coat

Gloomtastic! · 23-10-2013 11:04PM

At least once a week....

What part of England are you from?

Cavan

bodice ripper · 23-10-2013 11:07PM

Eeden wrote: »

This one gets me as well. Born UK, lived in USA until aged 11, Galway (mostly) since then. Parents Irish. I usually say Galway, but people don't believe me as I still sound a bit American.

I get this one too. Irish people are jerks on this. I say I am Irish, "ah but your not, are ye?". I say I am American, "ah sure you left when you were little."

BrensBenz · 24-10-2013 08:20AM

I think an answer indicating a general area is close enough.

It's those airheads who insist on telling me the exact distance (down to fractions of a mile) of their farder's house from some unheard-of crossroads, X.XX miles from an unheard-of bog, on the edge of an un-heard parish, etc. that set my teeth itching. It's probably an extension of our undying loyalty to everything within our own set of imaginary lines, drawn in the muck, hundreds of years ago, by the British, i.e. counties.

Precious flower · 24-10-2013 09:03AM

Always say I'm Irish but was born in England (always feel people are thrown by my accent which isn't really Irish or English) but I always feel like I have to counter that with 'But my parents are Irish'. I have no idea why, sometimes I even forget I was born in England as I feel 100% Irish (put Irish on my passport and didn't even realise I could have put English, but I feel Irish, never felt English until my friends remind me 'Oh you're English not Irish' but I only lived there until I was five and when we go over to London now I feel so disconnected to it (I suppose mainly because I've no family over there and my parents are Irish not English), the time I was there I hated how busy it was.

24-10-2013 09:07AM

BrensBenz wrote: »

I think an answer indicating a general area is close enough.
.

Yeh - usually goes like this:

If I'm outside Ireland: Ireland
If I'm in Ireland but outside Dublin: Dublin
If I'm in Dublin but outside my general constituency area: general constinuency area
If I'm in my general constituency area: See my previous post.

24-10-2013 09:10AM

Why do people get annoyed by being asked that its chit chat that's all inconsequential chit chat something we are good at.

Feisar · 24-10-2013 09:18AM

Mullingar, but I haven't lived there since I was seventeen.
Fairly normal occurrence to move away at 17/18 for college/work but it's where I spent my formative years.

It's different IMO if one move at 5-12 years of age. I'm using those ages in approx/general terms.

Now if someone was born in one county but moved at a very early age it hardly counts as where they are from but if it is a different country its worth mentioning. People often say: "born in England/The States but grew up in ....."

Basically that's my thesis on the subject!

Dravokivich · 24-10-2013 09:26AM

I'd generally say where I was brought up between Dubs, or the county for those from outside of Dublin.

The "from" question...

Comments