안녕하세요! Today, I'll teach you a quite easy grammar lesson. It is about some markers meaning "from" and "to." Even though they are easy markers, they are useful, so please follow each section one by one! Don't forget to download the worksheet to practice!
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1. 에서, 부터, 까지 grammar
Remember what a marker or particle is? They are a part of speech that adds meaning to a word. 에서, 부터, and 까지 are all grammatical markers. "에서" and "부터" means "from" and "까지" means "to" like English. Pretty easy, right? I'll show you more details!
부터
부터 indicates the beginning of an event or condition. You can translate it like "from" or "since". Korean teachers usually tell you it is related to time. (Not all the time, but the most of time, this is correct.) Here are some examples for you.
언제부터 시작해요? When do we start (from)?
어제부터 굶었어요. I've been starving since yesterday.
지금부터 시작하세요! Start from now on!
열 시부터 기다렸어요! I've waited for you since 10!
언제, 어제, 지금, and 열 시 are all time-related words. 부터 is attached to them to add "from" or "since" to those words! However, you can attach 부터 not only the time words. Here are some examples. If it means a beginning/starting point of something, you can use 부터.
여기부터 학교 땅이에요. From here, this is school land.
저 가게부터 가 볼까요? Shall we go from that store?
이 숙제부터 할 걸 그랬어요. I should have started with this homework first.
에서
에서 is one of the most useful markers in Korean. If you studied with me before, you may know 에서 indicates a place where an action happens. For example, you can say "학교에서 공부를 해요.(I study at school.) However, 에서 also can show a departure place and translate it as "from". Today, we'll focus on this second meaning.
어디에서 왔어요? Where did you come from?
필리핀에서 왔어요. I came from the Philippines.
집에서 몇 시에 출발했어요? What time did you depart from home?
However, even though both 부터 and 에서 can be translated "from," it is awkward to switch them. 부터 focuses on the beginning of the range and 에서 shows the starting point.
까지
까지 can be translated as "to," "by," "till," or "until" in English. It can mean many things, right? It shows the end or limit. Also, whether it is attached to time or place doesn't matter. I'll mark time-related words in red and place-related words in blue.
5시까지 오세요. Please come by 5 o'clock.
내일까지 숙제를 제출해야 돼요. I must submit the homework by tomorrow.
언제까지 여기 있을 거예요? How long will you be here?
어디까지 갈 거예요? How far will you go?
서울까지 어떻게 가요? How can I get to Seoul?
I have good news for you. There are no conjugations for these markers! You can simply attach them directly to a noun. Well, make sure to put them after a noun. It's a different part from English.
Now, we can combine these markers and make expressions to indicate "from N1 to N2." As two markers can mean "from," we'll see two expressions. One is for time and the other is for physical range. I'll show you one by one!
2. N1부터 N2까지
You can say N1부터 N2까지 to mean "from N1 to N2." It is usually used to show the range of time. Even though 부터 itself can be used with other than time, when it is used as the structure "부터~까지" it is natural to use it with time words. That's why many Korean teachers introduce 부터 as a time-related marker. Take a look at the examples. I'll show you the structure part first.
아홉 시부터 다섯 시까지 from 9 to 5
월요일부터 금요일까지 from Monday to Friday
일월부터 이월까지 from January to February
삼월 일일부터 오월 오일까지 From March 1st to May 5th
Not that difficult, right? Now, let's use these structures in sentences! Try to think of your own examples as well.
1
몇 시 부터 몇 시 까지 일해요? From what time to what time do you work?
여덟 시부터 네 시까지 일해요. I work from 8 to 4.
2
가게가 무슨 요일에 열어요? What days is the store open?
월요일부터 토요일까지 열어요. This store is open from Monday to Saturday.
3
한국에 얼마나 있을 거예요? How long will you be in Korea?
오월부터 팔월까지 있을 거예요. I'll be in Korea from May to August.
3. N1에서 N2까지
Now, let's check the "에서~까지" structure. As you saw above, you can attach 에서 to a starting point and 에서 as the arrival point. You can show the physical range with this expression.
집에서 학교까지 from home to school
한국에서 미국까지 from Korea to the U.S.
서울에서 부산까지 from Seoul to Busan
1
집에서 회사까지 얼마나 걸려요? How long does it take from your house to work?
삼십 분쯤 걸려요. It takes about 30 minutes.
2
여기에서 지하철역까지 어떻게 가요? How can I get to the subway station from here?
이쪽으로 쭉 가세요. Go straight this way.
3
학교에서 집까지 걸어 왔어요. I walked home from school.
However, here is another tricky part. When 에서 is used with 까지 and meaning "a range," you can attach 에서 to time words as well! You couldn't replace 부터 or 에서 when you just use it as it is. But with 까지, you can replace 부터 with 에서. I guess I can say 까지 gave power to 에서. Now, we can make examples like the ones below.
아홉시에서 여섯시까지 일해요. I work from 9 to 6.
월요일에서 목요일까지 여행을 할 거예요. I'll travel from Monday to Thursday.
4. N1 에서부터 N2까지
Ok, so far you saw 에서, 부터, and 까지. I'll teach you one more thing today, 에서부터. As you see 에서부터 is a combination of 에서 and 부터 you've read. Even though it is a combination word, 에서부터 has the same meaning as 에서 but there are some differences!
에서 and 에서부터 both mean "from". However, while 에서 can be used alone, 에서부터 can't be used alone. It always needs to be used as a structure "N1에서부터 N2까지."
How long does it take from Seoul to Busan?
=서울에서 부산까지 얼마나 걸려요?
= 서울에서부터 부산까지 얼마나 걸려요?
I read books from 10 to 12.
=열시에서 열두시까지 책을 읽어요.
= 열시에서부터 열두시까지 책을 읽어요.
I came from the U.K.
= 저는 영국에서 왔어요.
(X) 저는 영국에서부터 왔어요.: There is no end point, 까지. So, it's weird to use 에서부터.
5. Wrap-up & Worksheet
How was my lesson today? 부터, 에서 and 까지 are not difficult markers but they can be tricky as we combine them. Here is the summary of important things of the lesson today. If you want to practice further, you can download the free printable PDF worksheet!
부터: from = beginning point
에서: from = departure place
까지: to, until
N1부터 N2까지: A range of time = from N1 to N2
N1에서 N2까지: A range of time or place = from N1 to N2
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