In English, you say "I walk from home to school" and the word "from" sits comfortably before the place. In Chinese, 从 (cóng) works similarly, but learners often hesitate because they aren't sure where it goes relative to the verb. The rule is simple: the 从 phrase always comes before the action, never after.
从 marks where an action begins — a location or a time. The structure is always 从 + Place/Time + Verb. The key sentence for this lesson is:
我从家走到学校 (wǒ cóng jiā zǒu dào xuéxiào) — "I walk from home to school."
Here, 从家 (cóng jiā) means "from home," and it comes before the verb 走 (zǒu, "walk"). You can also mark a time starting point: 从明天开始 (cóng míngtiān kāishǐ) — "Starting from tomorrow."
This is a live conversation lesson titled "From Here to There." You talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin in real time — voice, not typing. Over roughly 10 minutes, you practice three things: explaining where you come from, describing how to get from one place to another, and talking about time ranges like "from Monday to Friday." Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation and adapts to your level.
Each lesson targets one specific grammar pattern, so you get focused speaking practice on 从 (cóng) rather than skimming a list of unrelated rules. You can explore more in the HSK 2 lessons hub, or try another pattern like the 是...的 (shì...de) lesson on emphasizing past details or the 真 (zhēn) vs 很 (hěn) lesson on emphasis.
Ready to talk it through? Your first lesson is free — just start talking with Mei Lin. If you'd like to reinforce characters offline, you can also print handwriting worksheets with the free Chinese Worksheet Generator.
Yes. In the structure 从 + Place/Time + Verb, the 从 phrase always precedes the action. For example, in 我从家走到学校 (wǒ cóng jiā zǒu dào xuéxiào), 从家 ("from home") comes before 走 ("walk"). This differs from English, where "from" can sometimes follow the verb. In Chinese, the starting point always comes first.
Yes. 从 marks both spatial and temporal starting points. The lesson "From Here to There" covers both: place-based examples like "I walk from home to school" and time-based ones like 从明天开始 (cóng míngtiān kāishǐ) — "Starting from tomorrow." You'll also practice time ranges such as "from Monday to Friday" in conversation with Mei Lin.
You'll talk out loud with Mei Lin for about 10 minutes, practicing 从 (cóng) in real sentences. Specifically, you'll explain where you come from, describe routes from one place to another, and discuss time ranges. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you speak, so you fix mistakes in context rather than studying rules in isolation.
Yes. This is an HSK 2 lesson, so it assumes some basic Mandarin but introduces 从 (cóng) — Starting Point (From) as a focused grammar target. Mei Lin adapts to your level during the conversation, so if you're new to the pattern she'll guide you through it step by step. Your first lesson is free, so you can try it without commitment.