från
From
från = from. Used for places, people, and time.
How It Works
The Swedish preposition från is one of the most common and essential prepositions to learn. Its primary meaning is 'from'.
It is used to indicate:
- Origin or Source: Where something or someone comes from.
Jag kommer från Kanada. (I come from Canada.)
Det här är en present från min syster. (This is a gift from my sister.) - Starting Point of Movement: The beginning of a journey or movement. It is often paired with till (to).
Vi reser från Göteborg till Stockholm. (We are traveling from Gothenburg to Stockholm.) - Starting Point in Time: The beginning of a time period.
Jag jobbar från klockan åtta. (I work from eight o'clock.)
Butiken är öppen från måndag till fredag. (The store is open from Monday to Friday.)
A Starting Point And A RangeFrån klockan åtta gives a starting time. Från och med måndag explicitly includes Monday; till och med onsdag explicitly includes Wednesday. Ordinary date ranges often include both endpoints, but use the longer expressions when precision matters. The preposition also appears in nonmoving descriptions such as distance and origin, so do not reduce it to a motion-only word.
Examples (4)
- Jag kommer från Sverige.
I come from Sweden.
Word by Word: I come from Sweden.
- Tåget går från Malmö.
The train leaves from Malmö.
Word by Word: The train goes from Malmö.
- Jag fick ett brev från min vän.
I got a letter from my friend.
Word by Word: I got a letter from my friend.
- Vi är här från måndag till onsdag.
We are here from Monday to Wednesday.
Word by Word: We are here from Monday to Wednesday.
Common Mistakes
Confusing 'från' with 'av' for origin.
Jag kommer av Tyskland.Jag kommer från Tyskland.In the ordinary origin construction
Jag kommer från Tyskland, choosefrån. Do not substituteavsimply because English uses “from”.Avhas other source or material uses, as inen ring av guld; preposition choice depends on the whole construction.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- tillTo
'till' (to) is the direct opposite of 'från'. They are frequently used together to describe movement or a range between two points, like 'från A till B'.
Level 1 - iIn
While 'från' shows movement from a place, i (in) shows location within a place. Compare 'Jag kommer från staden' (I come from the city) with 'Jag är i staden' (I am in the city).
Level 1 - påOn/at
Från, till, i, and på express different relations in context. Learn whole place expressions:
Level 1från skolan,till skolan,i skolan,på skolan, rather than assuming a single English translation chooses the Swedish preposition. - avOf/by
Av can express material or a source in certain constructions. Use från in the ordinary geographical-origin pattern
Level 1Jag kommer från Sverige; other origins and lexical combinations require their own prepositions.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice från in Bubblegum
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