HSK 3
V somewhere 来／去
V somewhere lái／ qù
(complements of direction)
Structure
Verb + Place/Location + 来 (lái) / 去 (qù)
How it works
This structure uses 'lái' (come) or 'qù' (go) as directional complements to indicate the direction of an action relative to the speaker. When the verb involves a specific location or place, the noun representing that place must be inserted between the verb and the directional complement.
Examples
老师进教室来了。
Lǎoshī jìn jiàoshì lái le.
The teacher came into the classroom.
他已经回学校去了。
Tā yǐjīng huí xuéxiào qù le.
He has already gone back to school.
小狗跑下楼去了。
Xiǎogǒu pǎo xià lóu qù le.
The puppy ran downstairs (away from the speaker).
Common mistakes
Putting the destination after 'lái' or 'qù' (e.g., saying '回去了学校' instead of '回学校去了').
Tip
Remember that 'lái' always indicates movement toward the speaker, while 'qù' indicates movement away from the speaker.
More HSK 3 grammar
See V somewhere 来／去 in real Chinese
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