Difference between revisions of "Using "dao" to mean "to go to""

m (Text replacement - "</span> <span class=" to "</span><span class=")
Line 21: Line 21:
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 他们 已经 <em>到</em> 酒吧 了。 <span class="pinyin">Tāmen yǐjīng <em>dào</em> jiǔbā le.</span> <span class="trans">They have already arrived at the bar.</span>
+
* 他们 已经 <em>到</em> 酒吧 了。 <span class="pinyin">Tāmen yǐjīng <em>dào</em> jiǔbā le.</span><span class="trans">They have already arrived at the bar.</span>
* 我 刚 <em>到</em> 家。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gāng <em>dào</em> jiā.</span> <span class="trans">I just got home.</span>
+
* 我 刚 <em>到</em> 家。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gāng <em>dào</em> jiā.</span><span class="trans">I just got home.</span>
* 你 <em>到</em> 机场 了 吗? <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>dào</em> jīchǎng le ma?</span> <span class="trans">Have you arrived at the airport?</span>
+
* 你 <em>到</em> 机场 了 吗? <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>dào</em> jīchǎng le ma?</span><span class="trans">Have you arrived at the airport?</span>
* 我 已经 <em>到</em> 火车站 了。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ yǐjīng <em>dào</em> huǒchēzhàn le. </span> <span class="trans">I already arrived at the train station. </span>
+
* 我 已经 <em>到</em> 火车站 了。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ yǐjīng <em>dào</em> huǒchēzhàn le. </span><span class="trans">I already arrived at the train station. </span>
* 我们 先 <em>到</em> 北京 , 然后 <em>到</em> 香港。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen xiān <em>dào</em> Běijīng, ránhòu <em>dào</em> Xiānggǎng.</span> <span class="trans">First we'll arrive in Beijing, then in Hong Kong.</span>
+
* 我们 先 <em>到</em> 北京 , 然后 <em>到</em> 香港。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen xiān <em>dào</em> Běijīng, ránhòu <em>dào</em> Xiānggǎng.</span><span class="trans">First we'll arrive in Beijing, then in Hong Kong.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
Line 47: Line 47:
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 明天 我 要 <em>到</em> 南京 路 买 衣服。 <span class="pinyin">Míngtiān wǒ yào <em>dào</em> Nánjīng Lù mǎi yīfu.</span> <span class="trans">Tomorrow I'll go to Nanjing Road to buy clothes.</span>
+
* 明天 我 要 <em>到</em> 南京 路 买 衣服。 <span class="pinyin">Míngtiān wǒ yào <em>dào</em> Nánjīng Lù mǎi yīfu.</span><span class="trans">Tomorrow I'll go to Nanjing Road to buy clothes.</span>
* 你们 晚上 <em>到</em> 哪儿 吃饭 啊?<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen wǎnshang <em>dào</em> nǎr chīfàn a?</span> <span class="trans">Where will you all go to eat food this evening?</span>
+
* 你们 晚上 <em>到</em> 哪儿 吃饭 啊?<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen wǎnshang <em>dào</em> nǎr chīfàn a?</span><span class="trans">Where will you all go to eat food this evening?</span>
* 我 跟 朋友 经常 <em>到</em> KTV 唱歌 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gēn péngyou jīngcháng <em>dào</em> KTV chànggē.</span> <span class="trans">I often go to Karaoke to sing songs with friends.</span>
+
* 我 跟 朋友 经常 <em>到</em> KTV 唱歌 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gēn péngyou jīngcháng <em>dào</em> KTV chànggē.</span><span class="trans">I often go to Karaoke to sing songs with friends.</span>
* 今年 春节 我 要 <em>到</em> 女朋友 家 见 她 的 父母 。 <span class="pinyin">Jīnnián Chūnjié wǒ yào <em>dào</em> nǚpéngyou jiā jiàn tā de fùmǔ.</span> <span class="trans">This Spring Festival I am going to my girlfriend's house to meet her parents.</span>
+
* 今年 春节 我 要 <em>到</em> 女朋友 家 见 她 的 父母 。 <span class="pinyin">Jīnnián Chūnjié wǒ yào <em>dào</em> nǚpéngyou jiā jiàn tā de fùmǔ.</span><span class="trans">This Spring Festival I am going to my girlfriend's house to meet her parents.</span>
* 下 个 月 我 要 <em>到</em> 美国 出差。 <span class="pinyin">Xià gè yuè wǒ yào <em>dào</em> Měiguó chūchāi.</span> <span class="trans">Next month I need to go to America on a business trip.</span>
+
* 下 个 月 我 要 <em>到</em> 美国 出差。 <span class="pinyin">Xià gè yuè wǒ yào <em>dào</em> Měiguó chūchāi.</span><span class="trans">Next month I need to go to America on a business trip.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>

Revision as of 03:52, 24 May 2017

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).

到 (dào) for Arriving in a Place

Structure

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

Subj. + 到 + Place

Examples

For these examples, it's straightforward to think of 到 (dào) as simply meaning "to arrive." We'll expand on the meaning of 到 (dào) later on in this article.

  • 他们 已经 酒吧 了。 Tāmen yǐjīng dào jiǔbā le.They have already arrived at the bar.
  • 我 刚 家。 Wǒ gāng dào jiā.I just got home.
  • 机场 了 吗? dào jīchǎng le ma?Have you arrived at the airport?
  • 我 已经 火车站 了。 Wǒ yǐjīng dào huǒchēzhàn le. I already arrived at the train station.
  • 我们 先 北京 , 然后 香港。 Wǒmen xiān dào Běijīng, ránhòu dào Xiānggǎng.First we'll arrive in Beijing, then in Hong Kong.

In some examples translating 到 (dào) as "to arrive" doesn't work as well and you might need to expand your understanding of exactly what 到 (dào) means. That's what we'll examine below.

Place and Action

Structure

If you are going to a place to do something else, you can first use 到 (dào) to indicate where you're going, then add another verb after that. This has the meaning of "going to the place to do something," and it's one case where the "arrive" translation doesn't really work anymore.

Subj. + 到 + Place + Verb Phrase

Examples

  • 明天 我 要 南京 路 买 衣服。 Míngtiān wǒ yào dào Nánjīng Lù mǎi yīfu.Tomorrow I'll go to Nanjing Road to buy clothes.
  • 你们 晚上 哪儿 吃饭 啊?Nǐmen wǎnshang dào nǎr chīfàn a?Where will you all go to eat food this evening?
  • 我 跟 朋友 经常 KTV 唱歌 。 Wǒ gēn péngyou jīngcháng dào KTV chànggē.I often go to Karaoke to sing songs with friends.
  • 今年 春节 我 要 女朋友 家 见 她 的 父母 。 Jīnnián Chūnjié wǒ yào dào nǚpéngyou jiā jiàn tā de fùmǔ.This Spring Festival I am going to my girlfriend's house to meet her parents.
  • 下 个 月 我 要 美国 出差。 Xià gè yuè wǒ yào dào Měiguó chūchāi.Next month I need to go to America on a business trip.

You might be wondering: can I just use 去 (qù) instead of 到 (dào)? For sentences like this, yes, you can. But native speakers will frequently use 到 (dào) in this way, so it's still good to be familiar with this pattern. If you want to sound more native, you should use it too!

到 (dào) , 去 (qù) , and 走 (zǒu)

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 to somewhere. 走 (zǒu) is used when talking about "leaving." The emphasis is on getting away from a particular place.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books