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.

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 到 + Place

</div>
### Examples

For these examples, it's straightforward to think of 到 (dào) as simply
meaning "to arrive."

<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>
-   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>
-   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've 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>

</div>
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.

Going to a Place and Performing an 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.

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 到 + Place + Verb Phrase

</div>
### Examples

<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>
-   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>
-   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 the
    USA on a business trip.</span>

</div>
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
--------

-   [Using "zai" with verbs](Using_"zai"_with_verbs "wikilink")
-   [Complements with "dao," "gei," and
    "zai"](Complements_with_"dao,"_"gei,"_and_"zai" "wikilink")
-   ["From… To…" with "cong…
    dao…"]("From…_To…"_with_"cong…_dao…" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course
    (基础汉语40课上册）](40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(基础汉语40课上册） "wikilink") (p.
    200)
-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (p.
    72)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276709)

[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")