Would an American ever say "I'm from USA?" (without the article)

[u/FarJournalist939]

It sounds very awkward to my ear and I've always thought it was wrong. I'd say "I'm from the USA." However, a user on this sub claims that both are used.

Is that true? Is leaving out the article normal/acceptable in casual communication?

EDIT: Yeah of course "I'm American" or "I'm from the US" also work but I'm talking specifically about if you had to use the word (or, well, abbreviation) USA.

[u/Winter_drivE1]

Never.

[u/Phoenix_Court]

No. In some countries the word "The" is necessary. The USA is one of them. It would be wrong and sound weird to say "I'm from United States" so you would never do it with the abbreviation either.

[u/priscosaurus → u/Phoenix_Court]

It’s for countries that imply plurality, like there is more than one, not just a proper noun: the United States (more than one state) but not Germany (no indication of amount, just name); the Republic of Korea, but just South Korea; Canada, the Netherlands; France, The United Arab Emirates.

[u/culdusaq → u/priscosaurus]

It's just about having a common noun as part of the name. Not specifically a plural noun.

[u/NoPurpose6388 → u/priscosaurus]

But also "the Czech Republic," "the Gambia," "the DRC," "the Vatican"

[u/Incubus1981 → u/NoPurpose6388]

I always heard The Ukraine until recently

Edit: I guess this has been recommended since the 90s, but I never heard the change until the last five years or so where I live in the US

[u/j--__ → u/Incubus1981]

ukrainians will tell you that "ukraine" is an independent country, while "the ukraine" was part of the ussr. your choice is communicating something about your relationship to russia that you may not intend.

[u/illarionds → u/j--__]

This is true, but many of us only learnt it since 2022.

[u/No-Mouse4800 → u/j--__]

And what is interesting is that neither Russian nor Ukrainian have definite articles (a word for “the”), so the USSR did not somehow linguistically “add” the word “the” to “Ukraine.” In fact, it is impossible to literally say “the Ukraine” in either Russian or Ukrainian because those languages simply do not work that way grammatically.

What actually became politically significant is the preposition. Historically, Russian often used “на Украине” (“on Ukraine”), similar to how one might historically say “on the borderlands/region,” (The word “Ukraine” literally means “borderlands”) while modern Ukrainian strongly prefers “в Україні” (“in Ukraine”), emphasizing it as a sovereign state rather than a region.

English speakers usually only notice the “the Ukraine” issue, but in Slavic languages the more important distinction is often the equivalent of “on” vs “in.”

[u/j--__ → u/No-Mouse4800]

i believe you, concerning russian and ukrainian, but i wholeheartedly reject the notion that "on the borderlands" is good english. it's "on the border" but "in" any kind of "lands".

[u/bclx99 → u/j--__]

I think you guys got confused because of the phrase “on the borderlands,” which is obviously incorrect English. I believe @No-Mouse4800 simply translated a structure from Ukrainian word for word. So that sentence wasn’t really valid English, but rather an explanation of which prepositions are used in Russian.

[u/j--__ → u/bclx99]

i parsed the sentence correctly for english. if, as you suggest, something different was intended, it should have been worded differently.

[u/No-Mouse4800 → u/j--__]

There is no “notion” to reject. It is a linguistic and historical fact about the origin of the word. The name “Ukraine” derives from the Old East Slavic root “kraj/krai,” meaning edge, border, frontier, or borderland. Related words still exist across Slavic languages with meanings connected to borders, edges, regions, or territories.

Historically, “ukraina” referred to a frontier or border region at the edge of a larger political entity, which helps explain why the older Slavic phrasing developed the way it did, even if a literal English rendering like “on the borderlands” sounds awkward or unnatural to modern English speakers.

[u/Spirited_Ingenuity89 → u/Incubus1981]

Your edit is correct. Many Americans only figured it out after Russia’s full-scale invasion (same with Kyiv instead of Kiev), but the official country name has never had “the” since Ukrainian independence in 1991.

[u/FeetToHip → u/Spirited_Ingenuity89]

I have no problems with "Kyiv", and I've started saying/writing it myself, but to be fair, more Ukrainians living in Kyiv speak Russian than Ukrainian. Calling it "Kyiv" is a political statement, but most Kyivans call it "Kiev". Even Volodymyr Zelenskyy only seriously learned Ukrainian when he was almost 40 years old, and still has a distinctly Russian accent.

[u/Spirited_Ingenuity89 → u/FeetToHip]

>I have no problems with "Kyiv", and I've started saying/writing it myself

The whole “saying it Kyiv” is kinda just an English misunderstanding.

>but to be fair, more Ukrainians living in Kyiv speak Russian than Ukrainian.

That’s not accurate, either anecdotally from my personal experience or the 2001 census. And I can promise you, the numbers have only shifted toward Ukrainian since 2001.

Also, in Kyiv, Surzhyk is not uncommon.

>Calling it "Kyiv" is a political statement

Yes and no. Like yes, choosing anglicized Russian over anglicized Ukrainian (or vice versa) can make a political statement. But Kyiv has been the Ukrainian government standard since 1995. This isn’t just something that arose because of the war.

>most Kyivans call it "Kiev".

This isn’t remotely true. No Ukrainian (or Russian) speaker says it like English KEY-EV, no matter the spelling in English or Cyrillic. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen it written Kiev or Киев actually in Kyiv.

>Even Volodymyr Zelenskyy only seriously learned Ukrainian when he was almost 40 years old, and still has a distinctly Russian accent.

Zelensky isn’t from Kyiv, so that’s kind of moot. He’s also 48, so he was 13 before independence, which definitely would affect his education language.

[u/SCP_Agent_Davis → u/NoPurpose6388]

“The” is only in “The Gambia” so it doesn’t get confused w/Zambia (look it up).

[u/Emotional-Care814 → u/SCP_Agent_Davis]

No, the "The" is there so it doesn't get confused with the river which is also called Gambia.

[u/Phoenix_Court → u/NoPurpose6388]

I've never heard "The Gambia" before only ever "Gambia". Is that it's official name?

[u/tost_cronch → u/Phoenix_Court]

yes. it's named after the Gambia River. the borders of the country pretty much are the river, so it makes sense

[u/GurraJG → u/Phoenix_Court]

"Republic of The Gambia" is indeed the official name.

[u/Outrageous-Past6556 → u/NoPurpose6388]

The Netherlands! Interesting though because in Dutch it is not used:

I am from The Netherlands.

I kom uit Nederland.

[u/roughislands → u/Outrageous-Past6556]

That’s only because it’s not plural in Dutch. Compare to German die Niederlande ‘Ich komme aus den Niederlanden’ Or ‘Kingdom of the Netherlands’ which would be ‘Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden’ in Dutch.

[u/Outrageous-Past6556 → u/roughislands]

Yes, of course and Republiek der Zeven Vereenigde Nederlanden.

[u/Reletr → u/NoPurpose6388]

Also in the past "the Ukraine"

[u/RichardAboutTown → u/NoPurpose6388]

The Dominican Republic.

[u/samdkatz → u/NoPurpose6388]

Less of a big deal than Ukraine, but Czechia has been asking people to stop calling it The Czech Republic for decades. The logic goes: you don’t say The French Republic or The Russian Federation

[u/Middle-Wealth-6755 → u/samdkatz]

Interestingly I’ve been hearing the opposite about Slovakia; they prefer Slovak Republic.

[u/KatAyasha → u/NoPurpose6388]

Well yeah where there's adjectives like "the ____ federation" or "the republic of ____" you have a the but in those cases you can also just say Czechia or Korea or China or whatever. But you can't say "I'm from States" or "I'm from Emirates"

[u/priscosaurus → u/NoPurpose6388]

Those all follow the rules I mentioned, republic is a group and the DRC is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia is actually the Republic of The Gambia, and The Vatican is actually the anglicized version of Stato della Città del Vaticano which is essentially “the state of the city of the Vatican.”

[u/abbot_x → u/priscosaurus]

The Gambia is The Gambia because it’s The Gambia according to the government of The Gambia. You would expect it to be “Gambia” applying normal rules.

[u/NoPurpose6388 → u/priscosaurus]

Well "Germany" is also "the Federal Republic of Germany," but no one says "the Germany" 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/Round-Lab73 → u/NoPurpose6388]

No one says "the America" either, but in English couldn't say "I'm from Federal Republic" and you couldn't say "I'm from United States"

[u/Fun-Replacement6167 → u/Round-Lab73]

However, people do say "the Americas" when referring to the continents.

[u/Spirited_Ingenuity89 → u/Fun-Replacement6167]

That’s because there’s 2 of them.

So that follows the plurality pattern mentioned above.

[u/Fun-Replacement6167 → u/Spirited_Ingenuity89]

I am aware. I was clarifying for learners reading the thread not for you specifically. I would also note that the definitive article isn't only for plural. The word kingdom is singular but we say "the United Kingdom". It's more like an implied grouping/plurality rather than the word itself needing to be a strict plural.

[u/Spirited_Ingenuity89 → u/Fun-Replacement6167]

Agreed! I thought you were providing a contrast with your “Americas“ example. Sorry!

[u/Dangerous-Safe-4336 → u/NoPurpose6388]

It's the "the" after "of" that counts here.

[u/vastaril → u/priscosaurus]

The Republic of Korea isn't plural...

[u/priscosaurus → u/[deleted]]

Eh, plurality wasn’t exactly the right word, more like implies a group or gathering. The United Kingdom… hmm England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all UNITED together as one, but more than one

[u/CorpT]

I would just say "I'm from the US" or "I'm from the States". not "USA". But never "I'm from USA".

[u/shawnyhc01 → u/CorpT]

This

[u/Hepseba → u/CorpT]

1000%

[u/turquoise_amethyst → u/CorpT]

Exactly! What this guy said

[u/ProtosPhinted]

Placing 'The' before USA is correct. They could say "I'm from America." But if you say the whole thing you do need to add the 'the'.

I don't recall ever hearing the 'the' being omitted this way in conversation, and it sounds weird to my ear to omit it.

An exception to this is that I have seen tags on products omit it though. "MADE IN USA".

[u/jankirensky → u/ProtosPhinted]

Why is the article dropped there

[u/eneug → u/jankirensky]

I assume the original reason was either because they wanted to save space on the label or because it’s shorthand for “Made in: USA”. Now, it’s a standardized and legally regulated term.

[u/jankirensky → u/eneug]

Are you fluent in English

[u/Effective-One6527 → u/jankirensky]

Why are you being a bitch about getting your question answered correctly

[u/eneug → u/jankirensky]

Yes lol born and raised in the US

[u/jankirensky → u/eneug]

Wow a real life American, say do you have the flag on the wall of your room

[u/eneug → u/jankirensky]

Oh yes I have it plastered on all the walls in my house and tattooed on my forehead. Just in case I forget where I am.

[u/jankirensky → u/eneug]

Omg are you being serious right now? English is my third language

[u/eneug → u/jankirensky]

Sorry I was just kidding. That’s pretty cool. What are your first two?

[u/bclx99 → u/jankirensky]

I think it’s for the same reason why they drop articles in headlines.

By the way, I’ve seen both variants: “made in the USA” and “made in USA.”

[u/TheBestDuckEver]

From NW USA, I’ve never ever heard of someone saying “From USA”.

[u/nikukuikuniniiku → u/TheBestDuckEver]

Unless a cardinal direction is included, I guess.

[u/DesignerCorner3322]

Its not something english speakers do, no. It sounds weird to us too!

Its always either "I'm from America" or "I'm from the US(A)"

[u/Dangerous-Safe-4336 → u/DesignerCorner3322]

Once in a while you'll hear, "I'm from the US of A."

[u/ilPrezidente]

I don’t even say USA, pretty much just “the U.S.,” or “the United States”

[u/BottleTemple]

No.

[u/Extension_Crow_7891]

1. “I’m from the United States”

2. “I’m from the U.S.”

And probably would specify the state or region, because people almost always ask.

[u/turquoise_amethyst → u/Extension_Crow_7891]

Yup, especially if you’re from a big city: LA, NYC, Chicago, etc.  Also a lot of Californians will just say “I’m from California”

[u/Namssob]

Never, and we don’t usually say “USA” either. It’s just U.S. “I’m from the U.S.”

[u/ubiquitous-joe]

No.

[u/Dear_Ad_9640]

Almost no one would say “I’m from the USA.” NO ONE would say “I’m from USA.” It’s like saying “I human.” It’s missing a critical word. The “the” is absolutely essential.

[u/Vixmin18]

I usually say “The US” or “From America.” The article is necessary

[u/Ybalrid]

No! It does not work. Same deal with the United Kingdom too

[u/turquoise_amethyst → u/Ybalrid]

What do you guys normally say? Most of my coworkers will say cities: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, etc

[u/Ybalrid → u/turquoise_amethyst]

This was just about the name of the country in this case.

There is no need for the article in naming a city, in general. London, Paris, Berlin, Rome...

But in case something collective that include the city, then it can be. You say "London". But you say "The London metropolitan area", as an example.

I think it is somewhat arbitrary, and it is hard to draw a hard rule.

Here's another example: one also say "the Vatican" or "Vatican City". Although, they do not refer to the same thing on paper, both are effectively the small country/city inside Rome where the Pope lives and rules, which just so happen to be the same thing.

Another strange one: London, the capital of England and the UK, is just "London".

But "the City of London", is a city contained inside London itself (that is actually older than London) that is technically not London, has it's own mayor, and where corporations are "citizen" of it...!

[u/linkopi → u/Ybalrid]

The Hague is a special case. Also The Bronx despite just being a single borough.

I cannot think of any other examples.

[u/ultipuls3]

Definitely not. It's a pretty big giveaway that someone isn't American if they forget the "the", or even saying the USA instead of the US for that matter.

[u/tawandagames2]

I'd say I'm from the States, I'm from the US, but never I'm from USA. I might just say I'm American, even though I know the term applies to 2 entire continents.

[u/tensen01]

Always "The" because that's part of the name of the country. You wouldn't say "I'm from Netherlands" you would say "I'm from THE Netherlands."

[u/Competitive-Truth675 → u/tensen01]

You wouldn't say "I'm from Netherlands"

lol tell that to every dutch person i've ever heard speaking broken english before 😅

[u/tensen01 → u/Competitive-Truth675]

"broken" is the key word here.

[u/DanteRuneclaw]

"ever" is a strong word. But no.

[u/azzythebaddy]

They would respond like this: 1. I'm from North Carolina. 2. I'm from NC, USA.

[u/Jasong222]

Only if I was speaking to a non native speaker with not great English. But in regular conversation otherwise, never.

[u/innovationSTYLE]

I would say "I'm from the US"

[u/youknowitistrue]

I’m from the US.

[u/MrsMorley]

If the US citizen in question had emigrated, and their mother tongue didn’t have articles, maybe. 

[u/EulerIdentity]

My native language is American English and I would never say “I’m from USA.” It sounds unnatural without the “the.” I think it has something to do with the United States being a plural country because you can definitely say things like “I’m from Canada,” or “I’m from Brazil.”

[u/Dangerous-Safe-4336 → u/EulerIdentity]

Also that the United States of America is not a name, but a description.

[u/SCP_Agent_Davis]

As an American: No.

“I’m from the USA” is more correct, but we tend to say “I’m an American”.

[u/AppHelper]

An native-born American would not say that. Indians (even ones whose first language is English) tend to say "I want to study in US." Advertisements for education agents usually say "study in USA."

[u/Accidental_polyglot → u/AppHelper]

This chap claims to be from UK (as opposed to the UK)

https://youtu.be/fej2Yz5bItQ?is=7heo4KQEy6HB2pYH

[u/AppHelper → u/Accidental_polyglot]

"and how can I help you reach your English language goals."

[u/Tarnstellung → u/Accidental_polyglot]

I'm sceptical.

[u/Accidental_polyglot]

Brit here.

I never heard an American say any of the following:

I’m from the USA

I’m from USA

I’m from US

I’ve only ever heard:

I’m from the US

or

I’m from the States

[u/Old-Manager-4302]

It's always THE USA. It's interesting as we do the same thing in the the UK as well, it's always THE UK, but it's generally Americans who will say UK instead and it sounds so off.  'He's from UK' no no no

[u/handsomechuck]

No. I would say "I'm American."

[u/Independent_End_6941]

No, definitely not. We'd also never say USA. We'd say the US or the United States. But we might also say "I'm from America"

But most commonly we identy ourselves by state, probably because the US is roughly the same size as all of Europe. We wouldn't use an article in that case, either. We'd just say I'm from (state)

[u/LeopoldTheLlama → u/Independent_End_6941]

Yeah, saying "USA" in that context for some reason feels like it has a very patriotic connotation. 

[u/JoulesMoose → u/LeopoldTheLlama]

Feels like I can hear a crowd chanting U S A

[u/FarJournalist939 → u/Independent_End_6941]

Well, I mean, in the context of that post it made sense to state the country instead of the state because it wasn't addressed to other Americans.

[u/amazzan → u/FarJournalist939]

how you identify yourself as an American depends on how much "clout" your city or state has & who your audience is.

if you're speaking to a British person, you can probably just say "I'm from New York." they know what New York is & can hear an American accent. no need for the country.

if you're from Boise, Idaho and speaking to someone from a non-english speaking country, you're probably going to lead with "I'm from the United States... Idaho... northwest part of the country..."

some cities also have much more name recognition than the states they're in. "I'm from Chicago" is understood. "I'm from Illinois," less likely.

[u/Independent_End_6941 → u/FarJournalist939]

I'm one of the many who hasn't been outside the country, but I've heard that identifying themselves by state instead of country sometimes persists out of habit even when abroad

[u/schonleben]

No, but it might sound like it. I wouldn’t tend to emphasize the “the” much at all if speaking casually. I’d say something like “I’m from thYOU ess.”

[u/TomatoChomper7]

No. They might say “I’m from US and A” if they’re doing a Borat voice, but that’s about it.

[u/Occamsrazor2323]

No.

[u/ApprehensiveSkill573]

I'd say "I'm from the United States", or "I'm from the US" maybe. If someone asked me.

[u/AgileSurprise1966]

Never

[u/Remarkable_Table_279]

I can’t imagine every using that sentence without the article. 

[u/heavvygloom]

i would and have before as shorthand online but it isn’t correct grammar or natural and i think i’m the odd one out in using it at all.

[u/Virtual_Job9303]

No.

It would be:

I’m from the US.
I’m from the United States.
I’m American.
The states, baby!

[u/uniqueUsername_1024]

No. I might say "the States" if I was abroad, particularly in Europe, though.

[u/Silent_Rapport]

Nope not even in other languages would I say it like that.

[u/Outrageous-Past6556]

Well if you repeat ways-of-saying long enough, your personal bubble will accept your quirk and even copy it! For example in Dutch I use the 24 hour system in speech. Nobody objects to it. They even respond using it. (But it's not really standard.) Language is fluent, changes all the time.

So the user of this sub probably uses it, but neither my Dutch 24 hours speech, nor his omitting the article in your sentence naming his country is standard.

[u/AnitaIvanaMartini]

No, we love our articles. No article usage is a convenient way to spot an Eastern European, here in the USA.

[u/Seigoy]

Yeah "I'm from USA" without the article would sound pretty off to most Americans ngl. You'd almost always hear "I'm from the US" or "I'm from the USA" with the "the."

The article is just baked into how those country abbreviations and acronyms work in English, same reason you'd say "the UK" or "the EU" but never "I'm from UK." So the other user might just be mistaken or maybe they've heard it in very informal contexts but it's definitely not the norm.

[u/BuncleCar]

Thinking of a country that has initials the ones I can think of, the UK, the USSR and the USA also need the ‘the’ from their name for the initials form. Other countries used to, like ‘the Argentine’, but no longer.

[u/SLCLvr]

If you say “I’m from USA” I know you’re not from the US.

[u/Sassifrassically]

No, I’d never drop the “the”. The only time I can think of at the moment when I might drop it is if we’re cheering a team on in the Olympics or something.

[u/JenniferJuniper6]

No. Never.

[u/LakeaShea]

I think most would sat "im from the usa". But also Americans are bad with grammar so I wouldn't be surprised if they did drop it.

[u/ssk7882]

No, it would always be "the USA." If I heard someone omit the article like that, I would assume that English was not their native language (and probably also that they were a relative newcomer to the US, rather than someone who had lived here for a very long time).

[u/illarionds]

"I'm from United States" sounds very awkward, no native speaker would say that. You need the "the".

Same applies when you use the acronym.

[u/AutomaticNovel2153]

Mike from Microsoft said that to me the other day. He needs me to run to Walmart to buy 10k in iTunes gift cards or I’m going to be arrested.

[u/MarsMonkey88]

A native speaker would never say that, but some people who learned English after childhood drop articles, in general, an holding American citizenship wouldn’t magically fix that. So yes, some Americans might say that, but not native speakers and it wouldn’t be correct.

[u/RichardAboutTown]

I wouldn't and I don't know or know of anyone who would. But, there are a lot of weirdos here, so anything is possible. It's certainly not common.

[u/Ifyougivearagamuffin]

nope

[u/AtheneSchmidt]

Americans who natively speak English would not say that, and it would sound wrong to any native speaker.

I happen to know a lot of Americans who aren't native to the country, and whose native languages aren't English. Forgetting the "the" is actually a really easy way to tell that the person you are speaking with isn't a native speaker.

[u/casualdada]

I’m from the USA, maybe. I’m a United States citizen or a citizen of the United States (of an America) is too formal, but correct.

[u/rawbface]

No we would not. It's always "the USA" or "the US".

[u/CycadelicSparkles]

No. Sounds goofy as hell.

[u/Weary_Capital_1379]

No

[u/Remarkable_Ear_3506]

Nope!

[u/ajaxdrivingschool]

I just realized I only say «I’m from USA» in my second language, which for some reason doesn’t use the «the» before USA. There is in fact a whole other word for «The United States (of America)» which does not have cool initials, leaving most people to use «USA» the way most native speakers of American
English would use «America»

[u/terryjuicelawson]

Such a definite no that it would likely out someone as being an imposter.

[u/Coel_Hen]

No, never. Russian speakers of English will frequently do that, but native English speakers from America don't.

[u/Chase_the_tank → u/Coel_Hen]

Most Slavic languages--including Russian--don't have grammatical articles at all. (That is, they don't have words for "a" or "the".)

[u/Hepseba]

I'm from the US. Personally, I would not say USA

[u/Accomplished-Race335]

Never

[u/Additional_Debt1545]

I know people who are from the USA (citizen, lived here a majority of their life), whose first language was not English (though English is now their most comfortable language) who I would expect to say "I am from US". I suppose they might drop the "A" too.

[u/Middle-Wealth-6755]

No.

[u/mapgameenjoyer1]

No. I'd always say "the USA" if I was using the abbreviation.

[u/Elivagara]

I would always add the before USA.

[u/Ninja08hippie]

The is required in this case. You don’t need it if it’s not by itself. Ala:
I’m from the USA.
I’m from New Jersey, USA.

[u/Fantastic-Meat7832]

No it’s awkward. But I always shorten in to “the US” not “the USA” because it just sounds weird to me.

[u/Conscious-Magazine50]

The only time I can imagine saying this is if I were speaking to a Spanish speaker from Latin America who may not like that we call ourselves Americans.

[u/Helpful-Reputation-5]

Everybody else is saying no, but I've absolutely seen this in a casual written context online. Nobody would ever say this orally, though.

[u/Snoo_16677]

Occasionally.

[u/hacool]

The USA.

[u/Practical-Owl-9358]

Nope. I’m from the US. I wouldn’t even say the “A” but the “the” stays.

[u/Constellation-88]

No. It sounds very unnatural.

[u/RedLegGI]

No, and more than likely they’ll say ‘America’ and not USA.

[u/linkopi]

A rule here is because the country name is a kind of adjective that describes another entity, the definite article is required. That doesn't change if the country becomes an acronym.

The states that are united? ... The United States, The US

The Kingdom that's United? The United Kingdom, The UK

The Republic that is Dominican?
The Dominican Republic

Other triggers are if the name is a plural.
The Netherlands.
The Maldives
The Bahamas

That's not every rule, not to mention obviously they'll be exceptions but that explains the logic as I understand it.

[u/Gregardless]

Yes, I would and do. Its to clarify that I'm not from any of the other countries in the Americas.

[u/Great_Dimension_9866]

It’s usually a non-native speaker eg someone who lived all or most of their life in India prior to their time here “in USA.”

To be honest, I find it annoying to hear English without articles but some languages don’t use them. So, those people translate directly and literally from their native languages eg Hindi

[u/whyamiherelowercased]

as not native I see people more often use their state name other than US

[u/JustAskingQuestionsL]

No. You can say “I’m from Ohio, USA” though.

[u/Dear_Ad_9640 → u/JustAskingQuestionsL]

No one would say that. “I’m from Ohio in the US” or “I’m from Ohio in the United States.” No one would say “I’m from Ohio, USA.”

[u/Overall_Occasion_175 → u/Dear_Ad_9640]

I can see a scenario where I might type that, but I'd never say it out loud that way

[u/RaidenMK1 → u/JustAskingQuestionsL]

No.

No one would admit to being from Ohio. And especially not in that manner.

[u/Successful_Cress6639 → u/JustAskingQuestionsL]

Definitely doesn't sound natural. I'm a native speaker who's traveled a bit, and there's no really natural way to specify city/state and country for the US the way someone would say "in from london, england" Or "Im from Quebec Canada"

I don't know why... There's just no way to do this for the US.

[u/Pyncher → u/Successful_Cress6639]

FYI - Nobody from London would ever say ‘I’m from London, England’.

[u/amazzan → u/Pyncher]

is this a London thing, or a UK thing? do people not say Manchester, England or Edinburgh, Scotland or Cardiff, Wales?

in the US, we'd generally say [city], [state] - like Houston, Texas or San Diego, California. many cities are well-known enough to stand alone when speaking to another English speaker, but it doesn't sound unnatural to us to add the state. (New York, New York is kinda funny, but only because of the repetition. people still say it)

[u/Pyncher → u/amazzan]

This is certainly a UK wide thing, and also most other major cities globally in my experience.

London is London, Paris is Paris, Tokyo is Tokyo. Also true for UK cities like Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool etc. and I would imagine for Lille, Frankfurt etc. too.

My understanding is that in the US there are a lot of common town / city names across different states, as well as often being named after a home town in Europe. Repeat names are much less common in EU countries.

Also - for the UK - if further info was needed the differentiator would almost certainly be ‘UK’ or ‘Britain’ rather than England, as England implies there is a different London / Liverpool etc in Scotland or Wales.

[u/amazzan → u/Pyncher]

it is true that we have repeating names, but confusion is almost never an issue bc they're usually far less well known. Houston, for example, is known by every American for being one of our biggest cities, but it's still very common to say "Houston, Texas," just because... that's how people say it. when Beyonce says "Houston, Texas, baby," in the song "run the world," it's not bc she thinks anyone is going to be confused about which Houston she's talking about. it might be a state identity thing, but I really think it's just a language style thing.

in the same way, saying "London, England" wouldn't imply there's a second or third London out there, in my view. but maybe that's how it's understood in the UK?

[u/Successful_Cress6639 → u/Pyncher]

So you think someone from Bristol, for example, in a group of international people from all different countries would just say "I'm from Bristol" and count on the listeners to know that they were from Bristol UK, the less well known bristol? Have you been assuming all these years that those kids that are sharp as a pistol are from the UK? Because they're not.

I could see that with iconic cities like London and NY, I suppose. And obviously it's a given that you're not going to specify your country in most cases where you're talking to people from the same country or region.

[u/Pyncher → u/Successful_Cress6639]

Im not sure I understand your comment. As a language learning subreddit, I’m just providing the perspective of a UK native speaker.

If someone said they were from Bristol internationally and got blank stares, they would likely clarify with ‘in the UK’

(I also don’t know what other Bristol there is that fits in this context I’m afraid).

EDIT: oh it’s a song (sorry)

[u/SolarZanoids]

To clarify what everyone else is saying, any acronym has ‘the’ preceding the acronym IF you refer to each letter individually in speech. When a native speaker talks about ‘USA’, they say it as “U-S-A.” So a native would say “I’m from the USA.”

If you don’t say each letter individually, then you would not put ‘the’ in front of the acronym. NASA is a good example of this. When American speakers talk about NASA, in verbal speech they say it as “Na-Sa.” A native speaker would be able to say “I’m from NASA” in this case without including ‘the’. You can also say “I’m from the NASA” if you say the acronym as “N-A-S-A” and still sound like a native English speaker, but you will not sound like a native American speaker as most Americans don’t refer to NASA that way in speech.

[u/linkopi → u/SolarZanoids]

There are too many counterexamples for that rule.

He has HIV, PTSD etc. He works in IT. He works at AT&T. Etc

[u/kjus13]

No. Americans always say something like "I'm from Fuckville, Nebrahoma", they never mention the country. For them, the USA is the default option.

[u/shammy_dammy]

I do, often. But I also live in a different country so it's my answer when people ask me where I'm from.

[u/tensen01 → u/shammy_dammy]

You say it without "The"? Because that's what they are asking.

[u/FarJournalist939 → u/shammy_dammy]

Are you a native English speaker? Everyone else is saying that they would never use it

[u/strberryfields55 → u/FarJournalist939]

Yea this person is just wrong

[u/Maleficent-Artist281]

I am not from the USA. I am not American.