Sentence pattern · Band 2

从……到……: from here to there, from then to now

Q: What is the most common mistake?

我到学校从家走。 → 我从家走到学校。. 从 gives the starting point and 到 the endpoint, always in that order; the pair never flips.

从 A 到 B

从 marks the start of a trip, 到 marks its end, and they travel as a pair, start first: 从家到学校 or 从三点到五点. The frame hugs places or times, then the action rides after it. English squishes from and to around the verb; Mandarin builds the span first, in one neat piece.

Hear it in a sentence

我从家走到学校。Wǒ cóng jiā zǒu dào xuéxiào.I walk from home to school.

他从三点到五点看书。Tā cóng sān diǎn dào wǔ diǎn kàn shū.He reads from three to five.

从这儿到饭店怎么走？Cóng zhèr dào fàndiàn zěnme zǒu?How do I walk from here to the restaurant?

这个电影从八点到十点。Zhège diànyǐng cóng bā diǎn dào shí diǎn.The movie runs from eight to ten.

Mistakes people make

Not this我到学校从家走。Wǒ dào xuéxiào cóng jiā zǒu.Say this我从家走到学校。Wǒ cóng jiā zǒu dào xuéxiào.

从 gives the starting point and 到 the endpoint, always in that order; the pair never flips.

Not this他从三点看书到五点。Tā cóng sān diǎn kàn shū dào wǔ diǎn.Say this他从三点到五点看书。Tā cóng sān diǎn dào wǔ diǎn kàn shū.

The from-to span stays in one piece before the verb; English wraps it around the action, Mandarin does not.

Words in this pattern

从cóng 到dào 学校xuéxiào

Quick answers

What does 从……到…… mean?

How do you build it?

从 A 到 B

What is the most common mistake?

我到学校从家走。 → 我从家走到学校。

从 gives the starting point and 到 the endpoint, always in that order; the pair never flips.

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