Conversation – Correct Usage of ‘Come From’ or ‘Came From’ a Country

conversation

When someone asks me, 'What country do you come from?' What should I answer? Suppose my country is India, is it 'I come from India' or 'I came from India'?

If the answer is it depends on the context, can you tell me the difference? Because when someone asks me like that, it's obvious if I'm there, that means if my original country is A and I'm in B, I should use the past tense, shouldn't I? But, I saw so many people said 'I come from…'

Best Answer

If you say, "I come from India," it means that India is your homeland - probably where you were born and grew up. You use the present tense to denote that you are currently, and always have been, from India. The emphasis is on the continued state of being from India.

If you say, "I came from India," it means you traveled from India. You use the past tense to denote that the traveling is complete. The emphasis is on the past action of traveling from India.

But, as @SoronelHaetir said, if someone specifically asks, "Where are you from?" you can simply say "India" and the rest of the meaning is implied.

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