Vietnamese Notes

Từ vs Đến — From vs To in Vietnamese

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Quick Answer

Từ means from — it marks the starting point of movement, time, or origin. Đến means to or until — it marks the destination or endpoint. In Vietnamese, these two words almost always appear together as a pair: từ … đến … (from … to …), making them one of the most natural and essential structures for beginners to learn.

Comparison Table

FeatureTừĐến
MeaningFrom / SinceTo / Until / Arrive
MarksStarting point (place or time)Ending point (place or time)
Position in sentenceBefore the originBefore the destination
Used alone?Yes (e.g., từ nhỏ — since childhood)Yes (e.g., đến nhà — arrive at home)
Time usageMarks start of time rangeMarks end of time range
Space usageMarks origin locationMarks destination location
Hán-Việt root從 (tùng/từ) — from, following到 (đáo/đến) — to arrive, to reach
Example (space)Tôi đi từ Hà Nội.Tôi đi đến Hà Nội.
Example (time)Từ sáng sớmĐến tối muộn

Detailed Explanation

Using Từ — From / Since

Từ is a preposition that introduces the point of departure — whether in physical space, time, or abstract origin. Think of it as the word that answers the question "Where did you start?" or "When did it begin?"

For physical movement, từ tells us where a journey begins: từ Hà Nội (from Hanoi), từ nhà (from home), từ đây (from here). It does not tell us where we are going — that role belongs to đến.

For time, từ marks the start of a period: từ sáng (from morning), từ thứ Hai (from Monday), từ năm ngoái (since last year). This usage is equivalent to English since when referring to a continuous state that began in the past.

Used alone without đến, từ can carry a sense of origin or background: từ nhỏ (since childhood), từ xưa (since ancient times), từ đầu (from the beginning).

Using Đến — To / Until / Arrive

Đến is a preposition and also a verb meaning to arrive. As a preposition, it marks the endpoint of movement or time — the destination you are heading toward or the moment things will end. It answers "Where are you going?" or "Until when?"

For physical movement, đến points to the destination: đến Hà Nội (to Hanoi), đến nhà (to/at home), đến đây (to here / come here). When used as a full verb, đến means to arrive: Anh ấy đến rồi — He has arrived.

For time, đến marks the end of a period: đến tối (until evening), đến thứ Sáu (until Friday), đến bây giờ (until now / up to now). This is equivalent to English until or through.

The Paired Structure: Từ … Đến …

The most common and natural way to use these words together is the paired structure từ … đến …, meaning from … to …. This works for both space and time, and it is one of the most fundamental sentence patterns in Vietnamese. Once you master this pair, you can describe routes, schedules, ranges, and durations with ease.

For space: từ nhà đến trường — from home to school. For time: từ thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu — from Monday to Friday. For range: từ A đến Z — from A to Z.

Note on Northern vs Southern Vietnamese

Both từ and đến are used across all regions of Vietnam. In casual Southern speech, đến is sometimes shortened to tới as the preposition meaning to, so you may hear từ nhà tới trường instead of từ nhà đến trường. Both are correct and widely understood. In the North, đến is the standard form.

Hán-Việt Connection for Learners of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean

For learners familiar with Chinese characters (漢字/Hán tự): từ relates to 從 (cóng in Mandarin, jū in Japanese on-yomi) meaning to follow from, originating from. Đến relates to 到 (dào in Mandarin, とう tō in Japanese on-yomi) meaning to arrive, to reach. Korean learners may recognize 到 (도달, 도착) in similar arrival/destination contexts. This connection can help you remember that từ = origin and đến = destination.

Example Pairs

The following pairs show the same context, first with từ (from) and then with đến (to), so you can clearly see how each word functions differently.

Tôi đi từ nhà.

I leave from home. (Starting point: home)

Tôi đi đến trường.

I go to school. (Destination: school)

Chuyến bay khởi hành từ Hà Nội.

The flight departs from Hanoi.

Chuyến bay đến đến Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh.

The flight arrives to/at Ho Chi Minh City.

Tôi làm việc từ thứ Hai.

I work from Monday. (Start of the work week)

Tôi làm việc đến thứ Sáu.

I work until Friday. (End of the work week)

Cô ấy học tiếng Việt từ năm ngoái.

She has been studying Vietnamese since last year.

Cô ấy học tiếng Việt đến tháng Mười Hai.

She will study Vietnamese until December.

Tôi đi bộ từ đây.

I will walk from here.

Tôi đi bộ đến đó.

I will walk to there.

Siêu thị cách nhà tôi từ hai kilometre.

The supermarket is from two kilometres away from my house. (measuring distance from a point)

Siêu thị nằm đến cuối đường.

The supermarket is located all the way to the end of the street.

Lớp học bắt đầu từ tám giờ sáng.

The class starts from eight in the morning.

Lớp học kết thúc đến mười giờ.

The class finishes at / by ten o'clock.

Từ thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu, tôi đi làm.

From Monday to Friday, I go to work. (Full paired structure)

Từ nhà đến văn phòng mất ba mươi phút.

From home to the office takes thirty minutes. (Full paired structure)

Common Patterns

The following fixed patterns show contexts where only one word is correct. Memorizing these patterns will help you use từ and đến naturally.

PatternVietnameseEnglish MeaningNotes
từ … đến …từ sáng đến tốifrom morning to eveningThe standard paired structure — always từ first, đến second
từ đầutừ đầu đến cuốifrom beginning to endFixed idiom — cannot swap words
từ nhỏTôi học nhạc từ nhỏ.I've studied music since childhood.từ alone marks long-past origin
đến bây giờĐến bây giờ tôi vẫn chưa hiểu.Even until now I still don't understand.đến alone marks "up to this moment"
từ nayTừ nay tôi sẽ học chăm hơn.From now on I will study harder.từ nay = from now (forward-looking)
đến nơiAnh ấy đến nơi rồi.He has arrived (at the place).đến as verb = to arrive
từ xaCô ấy đến từ xa.She came from far away.từ + xa = from a distance
đến lúcĐến lúc đó thì tôi biết rồi.By that time I already knew.đến lúc = by the time / when the moment arrives
từ trướcTừ trước đến nay tôi chưa gặp anh ấy.From before until now I have never met him.từ trước đến nay = from the past until now
đến tậnTôi đợi đến tận nửa đêm.I waited until as late as midnight.đến tận = all the way until (emphasis)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1 — Swapping Từ and Đến in the Paired Structure

Learners sometimes reverse the order of từ and đến, putting the destination before the origin. In Vietnamese, the rule is strict: từ always introduces the starting point and đến always introduces the endpoint — the order cannot be reversed.

❌ Tôi đi đến Hà Nội từ Đà Nẵng.

✅ Tôi đi từ Đà Nẵng đến Hà Nội.

The incorrect version is unnatural and confusing to native speakers. Always follow the pattern: từ [origin] đến [destination]. Think of it like a timeline or a map — you always name where you start before you name where you end up.

Mistake 2 — Using Đến Instead of Từ to Express "Since"

English learners sometimes confuse since and until in Vietnamese. When describing something that began at a past point and continues to the present, you must use từ, not đến. Using đến changes the meaning to an endpoint rather than a starting point.

❌ Tôi học tiếng Việt đến năm ngoái.

✅ Tôi học tiếng Việt từ năm ngoái.

The incorrect sentence sounds like you studied Vietnamese until last year — implying you have stopped. The correct sentence means you started studying since last year and are likely still continuing. The word từ is the correct choice whenever you mean since a past moment.

Mistake 3 — Omitting Từ and Starting with Đến Only

In English we sometimes say "I go to school from home" with the destination mentioned first. Learners try to mirror this in Vietnamese by starting with đến and omitting từ entirely when talking about routes. While đến alone is grammatically possible, omitting từ when you want to express a full from–to route leaves the sentence incomplete and ambiguous.

❌ Tôi đi đến trường nhà.

✅ Tôi đi từ nhà đến trường.

The incorrect version is confusing because it is unclear where the journey starts. Always include từ to name the starting point so listeners know the full picture of your movement.

Mistake 4 — Using Từ as a Verb Meaning "To Arrive"

Because đến can function as both a preposition (to) and a verb (to arrive), some learners mistakenly substitute từ as a verb with the same meaning. Từ is never a verb in modern Vietnamese — it is only a preposition marking origin.

❌ Anh ấy từ rồi. (Intending to say "He has arrived.")

✅ Anh ấy đến rồi.

Only đến can mean to arrive as a verb. Remember: từ = preposition only (from/since), đến = preposition (to/until) AND verb (to arrive).

Mistake 5 — Forgetting That Đến Can Also Mean "To Come / To Arrive" (Verb vs Preposition Confusion)

When đến is followed by a noun, it is acting as a preposition (to). When it stands alone or at the end of a phrase, it acts as a verb (to arrive / to come). Learners sometimes treat every instance of đến as a preposition, causing them to add an unnecessary extra verb of motion.

❌ Anh ấy đi đến rồi.

✅ Anh ấy đến rồi.

In the incorrect version, đi đến is redundant when there is no destination noun following. If you are saying someone has arrived, simply use đến rồi on its own. Use đi đến [place] only when naming the destination: Anh ấy đi đến trường rồi — He has gone to school already.

Quick Quiz

Fill in the blank with từ or đến:

Tôi làm việc _____ tám giờ sáng _____ năm giờ chiều.

Hint: You are describing the start time and the end time of your working hours.

Answer

Từ … đến: Tôi làm việc từ tám giờ sáng đến năm giờ chiều. — I work from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon. The first blank marks the starting time (use từ) and the second blank marks the ending time (use đến).

Fill in the blank with từ or đến:

Cô ấy đi _____ sân bay bằng taxi.

Hint: She is travelling and the airport is her destination, not her starting point.

Answer

Đến: Cô ấy đi đến sân bay bằng taxi. — She goes to the airport by taxi. The airport is the destination, so you need đến (to). If the airport were her starting point, you would say từ sân bay.

Fill in the blank with từ or đến:

Tôi biết anh ấy _____ khi còn học đại học.

Hint: You are explaining that you have known him since a past point in time that continues to the present.

Answer

Từ: Tôi biết anh ấy từ khi còn học đại học. — I have known him since when I was still in university. Because this refers to the beginning of a relationship that continues into the present, từ (since) is correct. Using đến here would incorrectly imply that you only knew him until university — that the relationship has ended.

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