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Prepositions after verbs

Come to or come from?

Come to usually expresses movement toward a place or state. Come from refers to origin, source, or background.

Quick answer

Come to vs. come from

Use come to for movement toward a destination or for reaching a state. Use come from for origin, source, or starting point.

She came to the office early.
These olives come from Greece.
He finally came to a decision.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
come to + place

Moving toward a destination

Use come to when someone moves toward a place or person.

Please come to my apartment.
They came to the conference.
2
come from + origin/source

Showing where something starts

Use come from for a person's background or the source of something.

Most of our coffee comes from Colombia.
She comes from a musical family.
3
come to + state/result

Reaching a condition or conclusion

Come to can describe arriving at a mental or physical state.

The patient slowly came to after surgery.
We came to an agreement.
4
come from + cause

Identifying the reason or cause

Come from can explain what produces a feeling, problem, or result.

The noise came from the engine.
Success often comes from careful planning.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
come to
They came to the station by taxi.
Movement toward a place.
come from
He comes from Brazil.
Origin or source.
come to
She came to a conclusion quickly.
Reach a state or decision.
come from
The smell came from the kitchen.
Identify the source of something.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using come to for origin

Use come from to talk about where someone or something originates.

✕ She comes to Spain. ✓ She comes from Spain.

Using come from for destinations

Use come to when moving toward a place.

✕ Please come from my office at noon. ✓ Please come to my office at noon.

Confusing physical movement with source

Choose the preposition based on direction or origin.

✕ The package came to Canada. ✓ The package came from Canada.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. These grapes come ___ Italy.
2. Please come ___ my desk after lunch.
3. After hours of discussion, they came ___ an agreement.

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Frequently asked questions

Can come to mean recover consciousness?

Yes. Come to can mean regain consciousness after fainting or sleep.

Is come from only for places?

No. It can also describe causes, families, traditions, or sources.

Can I say come to a conclusion?

Yes. This is a common expression meaning reach a decision or opinion.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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