How to say “How long does it take to get there?” in Chinese
“How long does it take to get there?” in Chinese is 多久能到？, written in pinyin as Duōjiǔ néng dào?.
多久能到？
Duōjiǔ néng dào?
How long does it take to get there?
Word by word
What each part of 多久能到？ actually means.
- 多久duōjiǔhow long
- 能néngcan / to be able to
- 到dàoto arrive
When you use it
- Use it in the taxi right after showing the address, at ticket counters for the next departure, or when a stranger points you down a long street.
- The same question doubles as a check on route optimism, since drivers who promise twenty minutes rarely mean forty.
Use 多久能到？ in travel situations. Airports, trains, directions and asking for help.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
要多长时间？
Yào duō cháng shíjiān?
How long will it take?
还有几站？
Hái yǒu jǐ zhàn?
How many stops left?
快到了吗？
Kuài dào le ma?
Are we almost there?
What usually trips people up
- Taking the first number literally in rush hour — 二十分钟 means twenty minutes with no traffic; double it mentally before planning.
- Asking 多久能到 on the metro platform — staff answer in stops and minutes for the next train, so ask 几站 or 下一班几分钟.
- Confusing 到 with 走 — 多久能到 asks arrival, 走多久 asks the walk; both work but the answer differs in kind.
What you might hear back
- 二十分钟左右。Èrshí fēnzhōng zuǒyòuAbout twenty minutes.
- 不堵车就十分钟。Bù dǔchē jiù shí fēnzhōngTen minutes if there's no jam.
- 快了，前面路口右转就到。Kuài le, qiánmiàn lùkǒu yòu zhuǎn jiù dàoAlmost — right at the intersection ahead.
Common questions
- How do you say "How long does it take to get there?" in Chinese?
- "How long does it take to get there?" in Chinese is 多久能到？ — written in pinyin as Duōjiǔ néng dào?. It is a travel phrase you would use in China.
- What does 多久能到？ mean in Chinese?
- 多久能到？ (Duōjiǔ néng dào?) means "How long does it take to get there?". Broken down word by word: 多久 (duōjiǔ) means "how long"; 能 (néng) means "can / to be able to"; 到 (dào) means "to arrive".
- When would you use "How long does it take to get there?" in Chinese?
- Use it in the taxi right after showing the address, at ticket counters for the next departure, or when a stranger points you down a long street. The same question doubles as a check on route optimism, since drivers who promise twenty minutes rarely mean forty.
Where you'll use it
多久能到？ comes up in these situations, in this order.
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