2 · Time and place
From … to … with cóng and dào
the starting point and the end point
Cóng marks where or when something starts, dào where or when it ends, and the frame goes before the verb.
从, “from”, and 到, “to”, frame a stretch of space or of time: 从北京到上海, 从九点到五点. Like any time or place, the whole frame comes before the verb: 我从九点到五点上班, “I work from nine to five”.
Either half can stand alone. 从 + place before a verb of movement says where someone or something comes from: 她从学校回来了, “she has come back from school”. 到 on its own is a verb, “to arrive, to get to”: 我到家了, “I’m home”.
The English-speaker’s mistake is the usual one with places: “from Britain” lands after the verb, and Chinese will not have it there. The starting point goes in front: 我从英国来. And after 从, as after 在, an ordinary object needs a localiser: 从包里, “out of the bag”.
A question about origin needs care. 你从哪儿来 can ask where somebody is from, but just as often it asks where they have just come from; for nationality the usual question is 你是哪国人, “which country are you from?”.
The form
| from … to … (place) | 从北京到上海 |
| from … to … (time) | 从八点到十点 |
| in a sentence | 我从星期一到星期五上班。 |
| only the start | 他从学校回来了。 |
| only the end: arrive | 我到家了。 |
| how far? | 从这儿到机场远吗？ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The frame 从 … 到 … stands before the verb.
我从早上到晚上都在学习。I study from morning till night.
The same frame works for places and for times.
从我家到公司要半个小时。It takes half an hour from my home to the office.
从 can stand alone before a verb of movement: where someone or something comes from.
她刚从日本回来。She has just come back from Japan.
After 从, an ordinary object needs a localiser, just as after 在.
他从包里拿出一本书。He took a book out of his bag.
A closer look
Dào after the verb
到 can also follow a verb and say how far an action goes, in space or in time: 我们走到车站吧, “let’s walk as far as the station”; 昨天我工作到很晚, “I worked till late yesterday”. Here the verb comes first and 到 marks the point it reaches.
That gives a second way to say “from … to …”: 从 + start before the verb, and verb + 到 + end after it — 我从九点等到十点, “I waited from nine to ten”. Both versions are common; this one puts the action in the middle, where English puts it too.
How to spot it
- 从
- 到
- 从…到
- 从哪儿
Example sentences
这家店从早上八点到晚上十点营业。This shop is open from eight in the morning until ten at night.
从我家到学校走路要十分钟。It is a ten-minute walk from my home to school.
你从哪儿来？Where have you come from?
我们的假期从下个星期开始。Our holiday starts next week.
请从这儿往前走。Please go straight on from here.
他每天从九点工作到六点。He works from nine to six every day.
7 more example sentences
我从小就喜欢音乐。I have loved music since I was little.
火车几点到？What time does the train get in?
她从冰箱里拿了一瓶水。She took a bottle of water from the fridge.
从明天开始，我每天跑步。From tomorrow on, I am going to run every day.
这趟车从机场开到市中心。This bus runs from the airport to the city centre.
我们的课从两点到四点。Our class is from two to four.
你是几点从家出发的？What time did you leave home?
Worth knowing (1)
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From a person
A person is not a place, so after 从 — and after 到 and 在 — a person takes 这儿 or 那儿: 从老师那儿, “from the teacher”, literally “from where the teacher is”.
这本书是我从朋友那儿借的。I borrowed this book from a friend.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English puts “from Britain” after the verb. Chinese puts the starting point before it, like every other place. To say what your nationality is, 我是英国人 is the more usual sentence anyway.
Cóng and dào set the stretch before the verb, for places and times alike.
Your turn
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