The good news: this one comes down to a single question — is the action moving toward the speaker, or away from the speaker? Toward the speaker is 來来 lái. Away from the speaker is 去 qù.
1 Structure
If the action moves closer to the speaker, use 來来 lái. If the action moves away from the speaker, use 去 qù.
你去台灣
你去台湾
Go to Taiwan. (the speaker is not in Taiwan)
你來台灣
你来台湾
Come to Taiwan. (the speaker is in Taiwan)
來来 lái + place
你週末要來我家嗎?
你周末要来我家吗?
Are you coming to my house this weekend?
李老師今天沒來學校
李老师今天没来学校
Teacher Li didn’t come to school today.
我在咖啡店,你要來嗎?
我在咖啡店,你要来吗?
I’m at the coffee shop, would you like to come?
歡迎來台灣玩
欢迎来台湾玩 😇
Welcome to visit Taiwan.
他來不來我的生日派對?
他来不来我的生日派对?
Is he coming to my birthday party or not?
去 qù + place
我要去中國旅遊
我要去中国旅游
I’m going to travel to China.
我不要去你們公司上班
我不要去你们公司上班
I don’t want to work at your company.
他為什麼沒去醫院?
他为什么没去医院?
Why didn’t he go to the hospital?
💬 FYI — Seeing a doctor in Taiwan
Many Western visitors, especially Americans, feel hesitant about seeing a doctor abroad — but medical care in Taiwan is genuinely affordable, even without insurance. An ultrasound, an X-ray, and an injection together typically run well under $100 USD. There’s also no need to book months ahead: you can usually just walk into a hospital, wait a few hours, and get everything taken care of the same day.
你去不去她的生日派對?
你去不去她的生日派对?
Are you going to her birthday party or not?
你要去哪裡?
你要去哪里?
Where are you going?
2 Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
01I go to the park every day with my dog.
我跟我的狗每天去公園
我跟我的狗每天去公园。
👆 Tap to reveal
02But there are no handsome guys coming to the park.
可是都沒有帥哥來公園
可是都没有帅哥来公园。
👆 Tap to reveal
03Where should I go to find handsome guys?
我應該去哪裡找帥哥?
我应该去哪里找帅哥?
👆 Tap to reveal
04Are you coming to the wedding tomorrow?
你明天要來婚禮嗎?
你明天要来婚礼吗?
👆 Tap to reveal
05I want to go to Japan next year.
我明年想去日本
我明年想去日本。
👆 Tap to reveal
06He didn’t come to class yesterday.
他昨天沒來上課
他昨天没来上课。
👆 Tap to reveal
07Would you like to come to my birthday party?
你要來我的生日派對嗎?
你要来我的生日派对吗?
👆 Tap to reveal
08She’s going to the hospital right now.
她現在要去醫院
她现在要去医院。
👆 Tap to reveal
09Did you come to school today?
你今天有來學校嗎?
你今天有来学校吗?
👆 Tap to reveal
10I don’t want to go to that restaurant.
我不想去那間餐廳
我不想去那家餐厅。
👆 Tap to reveal