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Mythic Mandarin

From A to B: 从…到 and changing lines

HSK 2 Unit 4: Travel and transport · Lesson 1 of 5 · About 16 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can ask and explain how to get from one place to another with 从…到, say you need to change, and say how long the trip takes.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 短 mean?

    1. to be late
    2. fat, plump
    3. short (in length)
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, short (in length).

    短 (duǎn) means short (in length).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “most”?

    1. 晚
    2. 最
    3. 胖
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 最.

    “most” is 最 (zuì).

New words

  • 从cóngfrom
  • 公共汽车gōnggòng qìchēbus
  • 站zhànstation, stop
  • 换huànto change
  • 自行车zìxíngchēbicycle

从 A 到 B

从 (cóng) A 到 B is from A to B, for places and for times.

  • 从学校到机场怎么走？

    Cóng xuéxiào dào jīchǎng zěnme zǒu?

    How do I get from the school to the airport?

  • 我从九点到五点工作。

    Wǒ cóng jiǔ diǎn dào wǔ diǎn gōngzuò.

    I work from nine to five.

要 + a length of time says how long a trip takes.

  • 从这儿到机场要一个小时。

    Cóng zhèr dào jīchǎng yào yí gè xiǎoshí.

    It takes an hour from here to the airport.

  • Not: 我到五点从九点工作。

    But: 我从九点到五点工作。 Wǒ cóng jiǔ diǎn dào wǔ diǎn gōngzuò.

    从 first, then 到.

Buses, stops and changing

公共汽车 (gōnggòng qìchē) is a bus; 站 (zhàn) is a station or stop. 换车 is to change buses or trains.

  • 我在下一站换车。

    Wǒ zài xià yí zhàn huàn chē.

    I change at the next stop.

  • 他每天坐公共汽车上班。

    Tā měitiān zuò gōnggòng qìchē shàngbān.

    He goes to work by bus every day.

Characters

  • 从 = 人

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

To the airport

Anna asks Li Ming how to get to the airport.

Listen first

Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.

  1. Listening

    Listen first. Does Anna need to change trains?

    1. no, it's direct
    2. yes, twice
    3. yes, once
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, yes, once.

    要换一次: once, at Beijing Station.

  2. Listening

    How long does it take by subway?

    1. one hour
    2. half an hour
    3. two hours
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, one hour.

    坐地铁要一个小时.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 安娜

    李明Lǐ Míng，从cóng学校xuéxiào到dào机场jīchǎng怎么zěnme走zǒu？

    Li Ming, how do I get from the school to the airport?

  2. 李明

    你Nǐ可以kěyǐ坐zuò地铁dìtiě，也yě可以kěyǐ坐zuò公共汽车gōnggòng qìchē。

    You can take the subway or the bus.

  3. 安娜

    坐Zuò地铁dìtiě要yào换huàn车chē吗ma？

    Do I have to change on the subway?

  4. 李明

    要Yào换huàn一yí次cì。你Nǐ在zài北京Běijīng站zhàn换huàn车chē。

    You change once, at Beijing Station.

  5. 安娜

    从Cóng这儿zhèr到dào机场jīchǎng要yào多duō长cháng时间shíjiān？

    How long does it take from here to the airport?

  6. 李明

    坐Zuò地铁dìtiě要yào一yí个gè小时xiǎoshí。

    An hour by subway.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 要换一次。你在北京站换车。

    Yào huàn yí cì. Nǐ zài Běijīng zhàn huàn chē.

    You change once, at Beijing Station.

  • 坐地铁要换车吗？

    Zuò dìtiě yào huàn chē ma?

    Do I have to change on the subway?

  • 从这儿到机场要多长时间？

    Cóng zhèr dào jīchǎng yào duō cháng shíjiān?

    How long does it take from here to the airport?

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 从 mean?

    1. to dance
    2. from
    3. university
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, from.

    从 (cóng) means from.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “bus”?

    1. 火车站
    2. 公共汽车
    3. 怎么样
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 公共汽车.

    “bus” is 公共汽车 (gōnggòng qìchē).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 站 (station, stop)?

    1. zhán
    2. zhān
    3. zhàn
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, zhàn.

    站 is read zhàn. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    换 huàn

    1. sorry
    2. (measure word for songs)
    3. to change
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, to change.

    You heard 换 (huàn): to change.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 自行车 (bicycle). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: zìxíngchē

    自行车 is zìxíngchē in pinyin.

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence means I work from nine to six?

    1. 我从九点到六点工作。
    2. 我到六点从九点工作。
    3. 我工作从九点六点。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 我从九点到六点工作。.

    我从九点到六点工作。 从 A 到 B before the verb.

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: It takes an hour from here to the station.

    从这儿到车站＿＿一个小时。

    1. 要
    2. 是
    3. 有
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 要.

    从这儿到车站要一个小时。 要 + time: it takes.

  8. In context

    You need to change trains. How do you ask where?

    1. 我去哪儿？
    2. 我在哪儿换车？
    3. 车站在哪儿？
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 我在哪儿换车？.

    我在哪儿换车？: 我在哪儿换车: where do I change?

  9. Word order

    Put the words in order: I go to work by bus every day.

    • 每天
    • 坐
    • 上班
    • 公共汽车
    • 我
    Show the answer

    我每天坐公共汽车上班 Wǒ měitiān zuò gōnggòng qìchē shàngbān.

    I go to work by bus every day.

    我每天坐公共汽车上班。 Time, then how, then the verb.

Your commute

Describe your trip to work or school out loud.

  1. 我从…到…。
  2. Say how you go and whether you change.
  3. Say how long it takes: 要…。

Sentence frames

  • 从我家到＿＿要＿＿。

    Cóng wǒ jiā dào ＿＿ yào ＿＿.

    From my home to ... takes ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I can say from A to B with 从…到.
  • I can say how long a trip takes with 要.
  • I can ask where to change.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: How far is it? 离 and 往