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  3. Directional verbs 来 ("lái") and 去 ("qù")

Directional verbs 来 ("lái") and 去 ("qù")

来 lái

Verb
HSK 2

Structure

来 / 去 + Place

Translations

  • says movement toward or away from the speaker

Definition

来（lái）表示向说话人方向移动；去（qù）表示离开说话人方向移动。它们也可以用作趋向补语，表示动作的方向。

来 (lái) indicates movement towards the speaker; 去 (qù) indicates movement away from the speaker. They can also be used as directional complements to indicate the direction of an action.

Usage

来和去作为动词时，直接表示位移的方向。作为趋向补语时，放在其他动词后面，如‘进来’、‘出去’。注意：在汉语中，来和去的方向是以说话者的位置为参照。

When used as verbs, 来 and 去 directly indicate the direction of movement. As directional complements, they are placed after other verbs, e.g., 进来 (come in), 出去 (go out). Note: The direction is relative to the speaker's position.

Examples

  • 1 请过来一下。 (Please come over here for a moment.)
  • 2 他去了上海。 (He went to Shanghai.)
  • 3 你什么时候回来？ (When will you come back?)
  • 4 我们出去散步吧。 (Let's go out for a walk.)
  • 5 她从包里拿出一本书。 (She took out a book from her bag.)
  • 6 快进去，外面冷。 (Go inside quickly, it's cold outside.)
  • 7 我送你去机场。 (I'll take you to the airport.)
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