Using "dao" to mean "to go to"

A simple and direct way to indicate that you or someone is going to a specific place or has arrived at a specific place is to use the verb 到 (dào).

Place

Structure

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

Subj. + 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 am bound for 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 dào jiā. 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 dào Běijīng, ránhòu dào Xiānggǎng. 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 ba. 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 ge dìtiě dào huǒchēzhàn ma? Excuse me, does this subway go to the train station?

Place and action

Structure

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 kànshū ba. Let's go to the park to read.
• 我们 经常 到 KTV 去 唱歌 。 Wǒmen jīngcháng dào KTV qù chànggē. 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 jiālǐ 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 shāngdiàn 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 nǎlǐ qù chīfàn 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, and 走

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly which word to use in Chinese to mean "go." 到 (dào) is used when you talk about arriving at a place, emphasizing the destination. 去 (qù) is used when you are going to a place. The exact meaning is "to go," and it emphasizes getting somewhere. 走 (zǒu) is used when talking about "leaving." The emphasis is on getting away from a particular place.

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