从……到…… (cóng... dào...) means "from... to" or "from... until". You use it for times (from nine to five), days and months, and places (from my home to school). It is one of the key grammar points of HSK 2.
从 + starting point + 到 + end point.
从 (cóng) means "from" and 到 (dào) means "to" or "until". The two points can be times, days, months or places. With times, the whole 从……到…… phrase goes before the verb, like other time words in Chinese. It can also stand on its own after the subject, as in 电影从七点到九点 (the film is on from seven to nine).
With places, 从 A 到 B usually starts the sentence, and what follows says how far it is (远, 不远) or how long it takes (要 + time). Put how you travel, such as 坐地铁 or 坐出租车, before 要.
Don't mix it up with 离 (lí). 离 says how far one place is from another and needs no 从 or 到: 我家离学校很远. A common mistake is 我家从学校很远, which uses 从 where 离 is needed.
In English, "from nine to five" comes at the end: I work from nine to five. In Chinese, 从……到…… comes before the verb: 我从九点到五点工作, not 我工作从九点到五点. This is the most common mistake with the pattern.
The phrase can come after the subject or at the very start of the sentence. 都 is often added after it to stress "the whole time", as in the common phrase 从早到晚 (from morning till night).
To ask a question, put a question word inside the pattern (从几点到几点) or add 吗 at the end. To ask how long a journey takes, use 要多长时间.
To say that something does not happen during that time, put 不 after the 从……到…… phrase, right before the verb.
从 can be used without 到: 从哪儿来 (come from where), 从明天开始 (starting from tomorrow). 到 can also follow a verb to mean "to" a place or "until" a time: 走到学校 (walk to school), 工作到十点 (work until ten).
This verb + 到 is the one case where 到 comes after the verb, and it can be combined with 从: 我从九点工作到五点 means the same as 我从九点到五点工作. But 从 itself never comes after the verb.
Practise this grammar point on paper: 20 exercises using only HSK 2 words, with an answer key on a separate page. Free to print and copy for your class.
Every example on this page uses only words up to HSK 2. Paste your own sentences into the level checker to see which words, if any, are above your level.