Using "dao" to mean "to go to"

A simple and direct way to indicate that you arrived somewhere is to use the verb 到 (dào).

Structure for place

The verb 到 (dào) is used to talk about going to places.

Subject + 到 + Place

Examples

• 你 要 到 哪儿 ？ Nǐ yào dào nǎr? Where are you going to?
• 我 到 上海 。 Wǒ dào Shànghǎi. I arrived at Shanghai.
• 他们 已经 到 酒吧 了 。 Tāmen yǐjīng dào jiǔbā le. They already got to the bar.
• 我 刚 到家 。 Wǒ gāng dàojiā. I just got home.
• 你 到 公司 了 吗 ？ Nǐ dào gōngsī le ma? Did you get to the company?
• 我们 先 到北京 ， 然后 到香港 。 Wǒmen xiān dàoBěijīng, ránhòu dàoXiānggǎng. First we'll arrive in Beijing, then in Hong Kong.
• 你 到 南京 路 的 时候 ， 给 我 打 电话 吧 。 Nǐ dào Nánjīng lù de shíhou, gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà bā. When you arrive at Nanjing Road, give me a call.
• 两 年 以前 我 到 了 中国 。 Liǎng nián yǐqián wǒ dào le Zhōngguó. Two years ago I arrived in China.
• 从 这里 到 那 里 需要 一 个 小时 。 Cóng zhèlǐ dào nà lǐ xūyào yī gè xiǎoshí. To arrive there from here takes an hour.
• 请 问 这 个 地铁 到 火车站 吗 ？ Qǐng wèn zhè gè dìtiě dào huǒchēzhàn ma?

Structure for place and action

If you are going to a place to do something else, you can add 去 (qù) and the verb. This has the meaning of "going to the place to do something."

Subject + 到 + Place + 去 + Action

Examples

• 我 到 中国 去 学习 中文 。 Wǒ dào Zhōngguó qù xuéxí Zhōngwén. I go to China to study Chinese.
• 你 到 那儿 去 做 什么 ？ Nǐ dào nàr qù zuò shénme? What did you go there to do?
• 他们 要 到 酒吧 去 喝 酒 。 Tāmen yào dào jiǔbā qù hē jiǔ. They are going to the bar to drink.
• 今年 我们 到 中国 去 旅游 。 Jīnnián wǒmen dào Zhōngguó qù lǚyóu. This year we are going to China to travel.
• 我们 到 公园 去 看 书 吧 。 Wǒmen dào gōngyuán qù kān shū bā. Let's go to the park to read.
• 我们 经常 到 KTV 去 唱 歌 。 Wǒmen jīngcháng dào KTV qù chàng gē. We often go to Karaoke to sing songs.
• 明天 我 到 女朋友 家 里 去 见 她 的 父母 。 Míngtiān wǒ dào nǚpéngyou jiā lǐ qù jiàn tā de fùmǔ. Tomorrow I am going to my girlfriend's house to meet her parents.
• 我 想 到 商店 去 买 点 水果 。 Wǒ xiǎng dào shāng diàn qù mǎi diǎn shuǐguǒ. I want to go to the store to buy fruit.
• 你们 到 哪 里 去 吃 饭 啊 ？ Nǐmen dào nǎ lǐ qù chī fàn a? Where do you all go to eat food?
• 小 狗 到 沙发 上 去 睡觉 了 。 Xiǎo gǒu dào shāfā shàng qù shuìjiào le. The small dog went on top of the sofa to sleep.

到，去，走

There are different ways to express when you want to go somewhere. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly which word to use. 到 (dào) is used when you talk about arriving at a place. The exact translation is "to reach". 去 (qù) is used when you are going to a place. The exact meaning is "to go". 走 (zǒu) is used when you are literally walking to a place. Therefore also the exact meaning "to walk".

See also

• Using "zai" with verbs
• Complements with "dao", "gei" and "zai"
• "From… To…" with "cong… dao…"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 200)
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 72) →buy