HSK 3 grammar · preposition
自从
自从 — ever since (a past start)
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
自从 marks a point in the past when something began — "ever since". It introduces a past starting point and the clause after tells what has been true since then. It is not used for future starts.
Examples
自从来了中国，我胖了很多。
Zìcóng lái le Zhōngguó, wǒ pàng le hěn duō.
Ever since I came to China, I've gained a lot of weight.
自从上了大学，他很少回家。
Zìcóng shàng le dàxué, tā hěn shǎo huí jiā.
Ever since starting university, he rarely goes home.
自从那天以后，我们没再见过面。
Zìcóng nà tiān yǐhòu, wǒmen méi zài jiàn guo miàn.
Since that day, we haven't met again.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 自从 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.