Direction complements: 进来, 出去, 回来
来 = towards the speaker, 去 = away: 请进来, 他出去了, 他回家去了.
Part of the free A2 Chinese course (about HSK 3). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
来 and 去: towards me or away from me
来 (lái) means coming towards the speaker; 去 (qù) means going away from the speaker. After another verb, they show the direction of the movement. In this use they are usually said in the neutral tone: 进来 (jìnlai), 出去 (chūqu).
| Direction | + 来 (towards me) | + 去 (away from me) |
|---|---|---|
| 进 (jìn) in | 进来 come in | 进去 go in |
| 出 (chū) out | 出来 come out | 出去 go out |
| 上 (shàng) up | 上来 come up | 上去 go up |
| 下 (xià) down | 下来 come down | 下去 go down |
| 回 (huí) back | 回来 come back | 回去 go back |
| 过 (guò) over | 过来 come over | 过去 go over |
- 请进来！(Qǐng jìnlai!)Please come in!
- 他出去了。(Tā chūqu le.)He's gone out.
- 你什么时候回来？(Nǐ shénme shíhou huílai?)When are you coming back?
- 你下来吧，我在楼下等你。(Nǐ xiàlai ba, wǒ zài lóu xià děng nǐ.)Come down, I'm waiting for you downstairs.
The choice depends on where the speaker is. If you're inside, you say 进来 (come in) to a visitor; if you're both outside, you say 进去 (let's go in).
A verb of movement in front
The direction can follow a verb that says how you move: 跑 (pǎo, run), 走 (zǒu, walk), 拿 (ná, take), 带 (dài, bring).
- 他跑过来了。(Tā pǎo guòlai le.)He came running over.
- 他从包里拿出来一本书。(Tā cóng bāo li ná chūlai yì běn shū.)He took a book out of his bag.
Where the object goes
A place always goes before 来 or 去:
- 我妈妈上楼去了。(Wǒ māma shàng lóu qu le.)My mum has gone upstairs.
- 孩子们跑进教室来了。(Háizimen pǎo jìn jiàoshì lai le.)The children ran into the classroom.
| Verb | Place | 来 / 去 |
|---|---|---|
| 回 (huí) | 家 (jiā) | 来 (lai) |
| 进 (jìn) | 房间 (fángjiān) | 去 (qu) |
A thing (a book, a present) can go before 来/去 or after the whole verb: 带一本书来 and 带来一本书 both mean "bring a book".
Common mistakes
他回来家了。→ 他回家来了 (or simply 他回家了)。A place goes before 来/去.我进去房间。→ 我进房间去。Same rule.请进去！said by someone inside, inviting you in → 请进来！来 is towards the speaker.他上来楼了。→ 他上楼来了。The place 楼 goes between 上 and 来.
Practice
- 门开着，请进_____！(Mén kāi zhe, qǐng jìn ___!)Options: 来 (lai) · 去 (qu) · 到 (dào)
Show the answer
来 (lai) — Coming in towards you, the speaker: 进来.
- 他_____了，不在家。(Tā ___ le, bú zài jiā.)Options: 出去 (chūqu) · 出来 (chūlai) · 进去 (jìnqu)
Show the answer
出去 (chūqu) — He went out, away from where you are: 出去.
- 你什么时候回_____？我们都在家等你。(Nǐ shénme shíhou huí ___? Wǒmen dōu zài jiā děng nǐ.)
Show the answer
来 — Coming back to where the speakers are: 回来.
- Which sentence is correct for 'He went back to his room'?Options: 他回房间去了。(Tā huí fángjiān qu le.) · 他回去房间了。(Tā huíqu fángjiān le.) · 他房间回去了。(Tā fángjiān huíqu le.)
Show the answer
他回房间去了。(Tā huí fángjiān qu le.) — A place goes before 来/去.