đến
[ʔɗen˧˦]
The Vietnamese verb for 'come' is đến.
The word đến means to arrive or to appear. When you want to express one's origin or place of birth, the standard phrase is đến từ, which is equivalent to 'to come from' in English.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
Which one should you use?
While đến is used for movement toward the speaker's location or a destination, the word đi is used for movement away from the speaker's location (to go). Additionally, tới can often be used as a synonym for đến when expressing arrival or movement toward a point.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb đến does not change its form based on person, number or tense. To indicate time, Vietnamese uses particles such as đã for the past or sẽ for the future.
Did you know?
- The word đến shares an ancient root with the Malay word datang and the Tagalog word dating, both of which also mean 'to arrive'.
Examples in context
- Tôi đến từ Mĩ.I come from America.This sentence shows how to use đến to express origin.Tatoeba #13896720 by leucammieuvu, translation #2231212 by CN
- Bạn nên đến Úc.You should come to Australia.This sentence shows the use of đến for movement toward a destination.Tatoeba #9006276 by dotheduyet1999, translation #3826471 by CK
- Bạn từ đâu đến?Where do you come from?This sentence demonstrates how to ask about someone's origin using đến.Tatoeba #10670112 by quoctrong018, translation #17150 by CK
- Mời anh/chị đến nhà.Please come to my house.
- Chị ấy đến từ thành phố Hà Nội.She comes from Hanoi.
- Đi vào, chúng mình ngồi lại trò chuyện.Come in, let's sit down and chat.
- Vô đi em, không vấn đề gì đâu.Come on in, there's no problem at all.
- 115 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Hương are waiting for a friend at a cafe.
- HùngLan đã đến chưa?Has Lan arrived yet?
- HươngCô ấy sắp đến rồi.She is about to come.
- HùngHôm nay cô ấy đến sớm hơn thường lệ.Today she is coming earlier than usual.
- HươngĐúng vậy, tôi thấy cô ấy ở đằng kia.That's right, I see her over there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry đến, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries đến, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
