từ

From

Level 1

The word từ means 'from'. It marks the starting point of a journey, a time period, or an origin.

How It Works

1. Stating your origin
To say where you are from, you might hear đến từ (come from). While widely understood today, this is a modern loan-translation. The traditional and most natural ways to state your origin are Tôi là người... (I am a person of...) or Quê tôi ở... (My hometown is at...).

2. Word Order with Verbs of Arrival
When using từ with verbs of arrival or destination (like đến, về), the traditional Vietnamese word order places it before the verb: Subject + từ + Location + Verb.
• Tôi từ Hà Nội đến. (I come/arrived from Hanoi.)
For other verbs of motion (like đi, bay), the từ phrase can freely precede or follow the verb (e.g., Từ Hà Nội đi Sài Gòn or Tôi đi từ Hà Nội).

3. Ranges: Time, Distance, and Numbers
Use từ with đến (or tới, which is completely interchangeable and very common in spoken and Southern Vietnamese) to show a range of time, physical distance, or numbers:
• Từ 8 giờ đến 5 giờ / Từ 8 giờ tới 5 giờ (From 8:00 to 5:00)
• Từ nhà đến trường / Từ nhà tới trường (From home to school)
• Từ 5 đến 10 người / Từ 5 tới 10 người (From 5 to 10 people)

4. Meaning "Since"
Từ is also used to mean "since" to mark a starting point in time. You can use it with a time phrase or add khi / lúc to introduce a clause. You will also frequently hear kể từ khi or kể từ for emphasis:
• Từ năm 2020 (Since 2020)
• Từ khi tôi đến đây (Since I arrived here)

5. Receiving from Sources
You can use từ to indicate receiving something from a person or source (e.g., Tôi nhận được quà từ anh ấy). However, note that this is a modern loan-translation from English. Traditional Vietnamese more commonly uses của (of) or passive structures for this meaning.

6. Extracting from a Space
To express taking something out of a specific space, từ is often paired with spatial nouns like trong (inside) or dưới (under), and frequently followed by the directional verb ra (out) at the end of the phrase. For example: Lấy sách từ trong cặp ra (Take the book out from inside the backpack).

7. Fixed Expressions and Lookalikes
You will often hear fixed time expressions like từ nay (from now on) and từ đó (since then). Be careful not to confuse the preposition từ with the noun từ (word) or the duplicated adverb từ từ (slowly). Additionally, watch out for the Sino-Vietnamese root từ meaning 'to leave' or 'to reject', found in common words like từ chối (to refuse) and từ chức (to resign).

Examples (6)

  1. Tôi đến từ Việt Nam.

    I come from Vietnam.

    Word by Word: I arrive from Vietnam.

    While very common today, this is a modern loan-translation. Traditional alternatives include "Tôi là người Việt Nam" (I am Vietnamese) or "Quê tôi ở Việt Nam" (My hometown is in Vietnam).

  2. Hàng ngày, tôi làm việc từ 8 giờ sáng đến 6 giờ chiều.

    Every day, I work from 8 AM to 6 PM.

    Word by Word: Every day, I do work from 8 hour morning to 6 hour afternoon.

    Using 'từ' to mark the starting point of a time duration.

  3. Từ nhà tôi đến trường khoảng 3 cây số.

    It is about 3 kilometers from my house to school.

    Word by Word: From house my to school about 3 kilometre.

    Using 'từ' to mark the starting point of a physical distance.

  4. Tôi từ Hà Nội đến.

    I come from Hanoi.

    Word by Word: I from Hanoi arrive.

    Placing 'từ + Location' before the verb is the traditional Vietnamese word order when using verbs of arrival like 'đến' or 'về'.

  5. Tôi học tiếng Việt từ năm ngoái.

    I have been studying Vietnamese since last year.

    Word by Word: I study language Vietnamese from year last.

    Here, 'từ' translates to 'since', marking the starting point of an ongoing action.

  6. Từ nay tôi sẽ làm việc chăm chỉ hơn.

    From now on, I will work harder.

    Word by Word: From now I will do work hard more.

    A common fixed expression using 'từ' to mean 'from now on'.

Common Mistakes

  • Thinking 'từ' is wrong for a wooden table.

    Different MeaningCái bàn này làm từ gỗ.
    Cái bàn này làm bằng gỗ.

    This sentence is correct and common. Từ stresses where the material comes from, while bằng names the material the thing is made of. For something changed into a new form (like wine from grapes) từ is the usual choice: rượu làm từ nho.

  • Using 'từ' when you mean leaving the house.

    Different MeaningTôi đi từ nhà.
    Tôi đi ra khỏi nhà.

    This sentence is fine, but it means 'I set off from home' (starting point), not 'I went out of the house'. To stress leaving a boundary, use ra khỏi.

How It Connects

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Learn This First

The pattern 'từ' functions as a basic preposition to indicate origin in space or time. To use it effectively, learners should understand basic Vietnamese word order and be familiar with common pronouns used to form simple sentences about movement or duration.

Words in This Pattern