<p>A significant difference between Chinese and English is that sometimes the border between a "verb" and a "preposition" is blurred.  In your case, both "去" and "到" has the meaning of "go", "go to", "reach", or "visit", and therefore can be used interchangeably.</p>

<p>You don't need a preposition if you use a transitive verb to translate "去":
某天我去北京。 = Some day I'll visit Beijing.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-17T14:22:00.313Z
@Alenanno: `<beginner>`The second version (某天我到北京) sounds to me like "I was in Beijing one unspecified day in the past" or maybe "I came to Beijing one day"?`</beginner>` Hopefully, someone will clarify..
dr Hannibal Lecter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-25T10:49:34.750Z
Frank, did you see the question? :)
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-16T17:59:57.097Z
What's the difference between 某天我去北京 and 某天我到北京, then?
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-16T15:14:25.430Z
2011-12-16T15:14:25.430Z
Frank
<p><code>到</code> more or less means "to arrive (at)," <code>去</code> means "go to (someplace)."</p>

<p>E.g., 你到18歲才能喝酒。You can drink alcohol, when you are (lit. "arrive at") (the age of) 18.</p>

<p>When used together with <code>去</code> (e.g., <code>到马路那边去</code>), it tells someone to go somewhere or do something.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-16T15:29:44.763Z
2011-12-16T15:35:57.873Z
2011-12-16T15:35:57.873Z
Krazer
<p>Huang and Krazer's answers already point you in the right direction.</p>

<p>I cannot find an example where 到 alone means to go.</p>

<p>You should use 到 (when alone) has you would use the verb arrive in English.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>到家我要睡觉. When I arrive home (when I am back at home) I need to sleep.</p>
  
  <p>我到北京了. I arrived at Beijing.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>到 indicates a final point, a destination.</p>

<p>It can also be used in combination with 去 to indicate the final destination  of a <strong>journey</strong> (more or less long distance) and thus add the idea of movement, travel.</p>

<p>Note the nuance in the following examples:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我去北京. I (will) go to Beijing.</p>
  
  <p>我到北京去. I (will) travel to Beijing.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-11T14:30:48.493Z
2012-01-11T14:30:48.493Z
龚元程
<p>某天我去北京 is arguably wrong due to the lack of any indication of tense. I will not be able to determine from this sentence the tense, therefore I will not know what exactly are you trying to say.</p>

<p>某天我去到北京 will be interpreted as past tense, since 去到 essentially means "arrived at".</p>

<p>某天我会去北京的 will be interpreted as future tense. 会+verb means something you are going to do (or have planned to do).</p>

<p>I guess the use of 某天 ruled out present tense.</p>

<p>Also note that, "someday" in English usually indicates a day in the future (Someday, I will beat you in Chess!). However 某天 is <strong>NOT</strong> exactly the same because it can refer to any day, past or future. So 某天 is more like "one day" in English.</p>

<p>So, your sentence would actually be interpreted as:</p>

<p>One day, I [go/went/will go] to Beijing.</p>

<p>Hence the doubt.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-12T03:04:49.923Z
2012-01-12T03:04:49.923Z
Gapton
<p>某天我去北京 =  某天我将去北京<br>
我将在未来某个目前还没有确定的时间，去北京。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-10T04:32:08.960Z
2020-01-10T04:32:08.960Z
scrapy
<p>First, grammars of Chinese and English are totally different, you don't need the preposition like in English.</p>
<p>Second, in my opinion, 去 indicates that you start the action of &quot;going to a place&quot;,and &quot;到&quot; indicates that you have finished that action, so you &quot;reach a place &quot; or &quot;arrive at a place&quot;.</p>
<p>An example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>本周二我会坐火车去北京，周三到。</p>
<p>I will  go to Beijing by train this Tuesday and I will arrive on Wednesday.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-22T12:31:27.283Z
I accepted yours because I appreciated the example with both the characters being used... :)
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-16T15:28:50.650Z
2012-01-22T11:43:58.140Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Huang
<p>Earlier while chatting, I wrote a sentence and a native speaker told me it was correct. The sentence was:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>某天我去北京。= <em>Someday I'll go to Beijing.</em><br>
  <sub>(mǒu tiān wǒ qù Běi jīng)</sub></p>
</blockquote>

<p>I noticed that no prepositions are used here. It's probably because I'm still a beginner, but then I wondered: if it's true that 到 can mean <em>"to (a place)"</em>, why isn't it used in that sentence? Are there some rules I'm not aware of or something I'm missing? </p>

<p>Also: when should we use 到? What are the situations/contexts that need it?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-12T02:54:42.513Z
I am native and 某天我去北京 does NOT have any implication of time. It sounds like an incomplete sentence too, so when I hear it I would be expecting a story that follows (what happened to you in Beijing). That would make it past-tense. If you want to say it in future tense, like how you put it in English. Then you should say 某天我会去北京的。 Essentially "One day, I **will** go to Beijing." Sorry for being off topic but I think its worth pointing out, since there is no go/went/gone (tense embedded in a verb) in Chinese.
Gapton
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-29T16:48:14.667Z
To mean "Someday I'll go to Beijing", and use "到", I'll say: "哪天我要到北京去耍耍".
George
<verbs><preposition>
Why isn't 到 (dào) used in 某天我去北京?
# Why isn't 到 (dào) used in 某天我去北京?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-12-16)

Earlier while chatting, I wrote a sentence and a native speaker told me it was correct. The sentence was:

> 某天我去北京。= *Someday I'll go to Beijing.*  
> (mǒu tiān wǒ qù Běi jīng)

I noticed that no prepositions are used here. It's probably because I'm still a beginner, but then I wondered: if it's true that 到 can mean *"to (a place)"*, why isn't it used in that sentence? Are there some rules I'm not aware of or something I'm missing?

Also: when should we use 到? What are the situations/contexts that need it?

**Tags:** verbs, preposition

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I am native and 某天我去北京 does NOT have any implication of time. It sounds like an incomplete sentence too, so when I hear it I would be expecting a story that follows (what happened to you in Beijing). That would make it past-tense. If you want to say it in future tense, like how you put it in English. Then you should say 某天我会去北京的。 Essentially "One day, I **will** go to Beijing." Sorry for being off topic but I think its worth pointing out, since there is no go/went/gone (tense embedded in a verb) in Chinese.  
> **username_2**: To mean "Someday I'll go to Beijing", and use "到", I'll say: "哪天我要到北京去耍耍".  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_8 on 2011-12-16. Score: 14 | Accepted answer

First, grammars of Chinese and English are totally different, you don't need the preposition like in English.

Second, in my opinion, 去 indicates that you start the action of "going to a place",and "到" indicates that you have finished that action, so you "reach a place " or "arrive at a place".

An example:

> 本周二我会坐火车去北京，周三到。
>
> I will go to Beijing by train this Tuesday and I will arrive on Wednesday.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I accepted yours because I appreciated the example with both the characters being used... :)  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2011-12-16. Score: 11

A significant difference between Chinese and English is that sometimes the border between a "verb" and a "preposition" is blurred. In your case, both "去" and "到" has the meaning of "go", "go to", "reach", or "visit", and therefore can be used interchangeably.

You don't need a preposition if you use a transitive verb to translate "去":
某天我去北京。 = Some day I'll visit Beijing.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What's the difference between 某天我去北京 and 某天我到北京, then?  
> **username_4**: @username_0: `<beginner>`The second version (某天我到北京) sounds to me like "I was in Beijing one unspecified day in the past" or maybe "I came to Beijing one day"?`</beginner>` Hopefully, someone will clarify..  
> **username_0**: username_3, did you see the question? :)  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2011-12-16. Score: 10

`到` more or less means "to arrive (at)," `去` means "go to (someplace)."

E.g., 你到18歲才能喝酒。You can drink alcohol, when you are (lit. "arrive at") (the age of) 18.

When used together with `去` (e.g., `到马路那边去`), it tells someone to go somewhere or do something.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2012-01-11. Score: 2

username_8 and username_5's answers already point you in the right direction.

I cannot find an example where 到 alone means to go.

You should use 到 (when alone) has you would use the verb arrive in English.

> 到家我要睡觉. When I arrive home (when I am back at home) I need to sleep.
>
> 我到北京了. I arrived at Beijing.

到 indicates a final point, a destination.

It can also be used in combination with 去 to indicate the final destination of a **journey** (more or less long distance) and thus add the idea of movement, travel.

Note the nuance in the following examples:

> 我去北京. I (will) go to Beijing.
>
> 我到北京去. I (will) travel to Beijing.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2012-01-12. Score: 1

某天我去北京 is arguably wrong due to the lack of any indication of tense. I will not be able to determine from this sentence the tense, therefore I will not know what exactly are you trying to say.

某天我去到北京 will be interpreted as past tense, since 去到 essentially means "arrived at".

某天我会去北京的 will be interpreted as future tense. 会+verb means something you are going to do (or have planned to do).

I guess the use of 某天 ruled out present tense.

Also note that, "someday" in English usually indicates a day in the future (Someday, I will beat you in Chess!). However 某天 is **NOT** exactly the same because it can refer to any day, past or future. So 某天 is more like "one day" in English.

So, your sentence would actually be interpreted as:

One day, I [go/went/will go] to Beijing.

Hence the doubt.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2020-01-10. Score: -1

某天我去北京 = 某天我将去北京  
我将在未来某个目前还没有确定的时间，去北京。


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