Learn Hardcore Korean: gonghangeseo hotelkkaji taeksiro sip bun jeongdo geollyeoyo. - It takes about ten minutes by taxi from the airport to the hotel.

-에서 marks the starting point “from” (for places or where an action happens).
-까지 marks the end point “to, up to.”
You can say either 공항에서 or 공항부터. With places, both are acceptable; -에서 is the most typical in travel/distance sentences, while -부터 can feel a bit more like “starting from” (slightly emphatic).
Examples:
- 공항에서/공항부터 호텔까지 택시로 십 분 정도 걸려요. (Both OK)
- For time ranges, -부터 is more common: 세 시부터 다섯 시까지.

Why is it 택시로, not 택시으로? When do I use -로 versus -으로?

Use -로 after a noun ending in a vowel or the consonant ㄹ; use -으로 after other consonants.

택시 ends in a vowel -> 택시로.
More examples: 버스 → 버스로, 기차 → 기차로, 지하철(…ㄹ) → 지하철로. The particle means “by/with/using” (means or method).

What’s the difference between 택시로 and 택시(를) 타고?

Both mean “by taxi.”

택시로 = by means of taxi (neutral, compact).
택시(를) 타고 = “riding a taxi” (slightly more vivid/colloquial).
Either works: 공항에서 호텔까지 택시로/택시(를) 타고 십 분 정도 걸려요.

Why is it 십 분 and not 열 분?

The counter 분 (minutes) uses Sino-Korean numbers, so “10 minutes” is 십 분, not native 열 분.
Be careful: 열 분 (with native “열”) actually means “ten people” because there’s another counter 분 for people (honorific).

10 minutes = 십 분
10 people (honorific) = 열 분

Is the spacing in 십 분 정도 correct? I’ve also seen 10분.

Yes. With number words in Hangul, write a space before the counter: 십 분. With Arabic numerals, no space: 10분.
The bound noun 정도 is written as a separate word: 십 분 정도 / 10분 정도.

What’s the difference between 정도, 쯤, and 약/대략? Can I stack them?

정도 (bound noun): “degree, about.” Comes after a number/counter phrase. Neutral.
쯤 (particle-like): attaches right after the number/counter. Slightly more casual.
약/대략 (adverbs): “approximately,” a bit formal/written. Use one of them; 정도 and 쯤 together is redundant. Acceptable combos include:
십 분 정도 걸려요.
십 분쯤 걸려요.
약/대략 십 분 정도 걸려요.
Colloquial: 한 10분 걸려요.

What exactly does 걸려요 mean, and what’s the subject?

걸려요 is from 걸리다, which among other meanings means “to take (time).”
In this pattern, the “time” is the grammatical subject, often omitted:

(십 분이) 걸려요. = “(Ten minutes) take(s).” You can also say 시간이 걸려요 (“time takes/it takes time”).

Can I say 십 분이 걸려요? Does the particle add emphasis?

Yes. 십 분이 걸려요 is fine and can add a slight emphasis or a clearer subject marking. In everyday speech, many people drop 이/가: 십 분 걸려요. Both are natural.

Can I change the word order, like 택시로 공항에서 호텔까지 …?

Yes. Korean allows flexible word order as long as all modifiers come before the verb. These are all natural:

공항에서 호텔까지 택시로 십 분 정도 걸려요.
택시로 공항에서 호텔까지 십 분 정도 걸려요.
공항에서 택시로 호텔까지 십 분 정도 걸려요.

How do I ask “How long does it take?” using this pattern?

Use 얼마나:

공항에서 호텔까지 택시로 얼마나 걸려요? Short form:
얼마나 걸려요?
To ask specifically in minutes: 몇 분 걸려요?

How do I put this in the past or future?

Past: … 십 분 정도 걸렸어요.
Future: … 십 분 정도 걸릴 거예요.
Formal: 걸립니다 / 걸렸습니다 / 걸릴 겁니다.

Is 공항에서부터 호텔까지 okay, or is 에서부터 redundant?

It’s okay. -에서부터 adds emphasis to the starting point (“right from the airport”). In neutral writing, 공항에서 호텔까지 is simpler, but 공항에서부터 is common in speech.

Could I use 호텔에 instead of 호텔까지?

With motion verbs like 가다/오다, you use -에 (e.g., 호텔에 가요).
But with the “it takes (time) from A to B” pattern, A에서 B까지 … 걸리다 is the idiomatic range expression. 호텔에 … 걸려요 is not natural here.
You could rephrase with a nominalized verb: 공항에서 호텔에 가는 데 택시로 십 분 정도 걸려요.

Any pronunciation tips for chunks like 십 분, 호텔까지, 걸려요?

십 분 → the ㅂ sound often makes the next ㅂ tensify: [십뿐] (roughly “ship-ppun”).
호텔까지 → the initial ㄱ of 까지 tends to tensify after a consonant: [호텔까지].
걸려요 → [걸려요] (“geol-lyeo-yo”).
These are natural assimilations; you don’t need to force them—listening and imitation will help.

What politeness level is 걸려요? What are other common endings?

걸려요: polite informal (most common in everyday speech).
걸립니다: polite formal (announcements, formal settings).
걸려: casual/informal (friends, close peers).