2 · Complements after the verb
Coming and going: lái and qù after the verb
the simple direction complement
Lái after a verb points towards the speaker, qù points away.
Verbs of movement and of carrying add 来 or 去 to say which way the movement goes, seen from where the speaker is: 来 towards the speaker, 去 away. 进来 is “come in”, 进去 “go in”; 拿来 is “bring”, 拿去 “take away”.
The verbs before 来 and 去 are the direction verbs 上, 下, 进, 出, 回 and 过, and verbs of carrying and sending such as 拿, 带, 送, 寄. In this position 来 and 去 lose their stress and are said in the neutral tone (jìnlai, huíqu), and they stay neutral when a place or a thing stands between them and the verb (huí jiā qu).
A place goes between the verb and 来 or 去, never after them: 回家去, 进教室来. A thing can go in the middle or after the whole verb: 带一本书来 or, for something already done, 带来了一本书.
English chooses between “come” and “go” in much the same way, but it hides the direction in a particle (“come in”, “go up”) and is often relaxed about the viewpoint. Chinese is stricter: if I am upstairs and you are going to join me, you come up — 上来; if I am downstairs and say I will join you, I go up — 上去, even where English would say “I’ll come up”.
The form
| towards the speaker | 请进来。 |
| away from the speaker | 你进去吧。 |
| a place in the middle | 他回家去了。 |
| a thing in the middle | 你带一把伞来。 |
| a thing at the end | 他带来了一把伞。 |
| negative | 他还没回来。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
来 after a verb points towards the speaker; 去 points away.
外面太冷了，快进来吧！It's too cold outside — come in, quick!
A place goes between the verb and 来 or 去.
他已经回宿舍去了。He has already gone back to the dormitory.
A thing can stand before or after 来 or 去.
妈妈给我寄来了一个包裹。My mother has sent me a parcel.
Choose by where the speaker is, not by where the mover is going.
我在楼下等你，你下来吧。I'm waiting for you downstairs — come down.
A closer look
Where the speaker stands
The choice between 来 and 去 depends on one question: where is the speaker, or where is the speaker’s attention? On the phone, the person waiting at home says 你快回来吧; the person still at work says 我马上回去. Both describe the same journey.
In stories, the narrator picks a place and keeps it. If the scene is a room, people 进来 and 出去; if the scene is the street outside, the same people 进去 and 出来. Switching halfway through is as confusing in Chinese as a camera that jumps from one side of a door to the other.
How to spot it
- 来
- 去
- 进来
- 回去
- 拿来
Example sentences
请等一下，他马上下来。Please wait a moment — he will be right down.
你什么时候回来？When are you coming back?
明天上课的时候，别忘了带词典来。Don't forget to bring your dictionary to class tomorrow.
教室里没人，我们进去吧。There is nobody in the classroom — let's go in.
他上楼去了。He has gone upstairs.
服务员，请拿两双筷子来。Excuse me, could you bring two pairs of chopsticks, please?
7 more example sentences
你过来一下，我有事问你。Come over here a moment — I have something to ask you.
我给你带来了一些水果。I have brought you some fruit.
他去年回国去了。He went back to his own country last year.
外面在下雨，别出去了。It's raining outside — don't go out.
你在楼上吗？我上去找你。Are you upstairs? I'll come up and find you.
爸爸下班回来了。Dad is back from work.
这些书你可以拿去。You can take these books.
Worth knowing (1)
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Knocking at a door
The rule about the speaker’s position bends in one polite situation. Someone knocking at a door often takes the listener’s point of view, just as English “may I come in?” does, and says 进来 rather than 进去. The reply from inside is usually 请进.
老师，我可以进来吗？May I come in?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English says “go back home”, with the place at the end, and the Chinese verb 回去 looks like “go back”. But a place cannot follow 来 or 去: it goes in the middle. Often the plain verb is enough: 我明天回家.
Lái comes towards me, qù goes away — and a place sits between the verb and lái or qù.
Your turn
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