Using the verb "qu"

It's pretty easy to get a handle on the verb 去 (qù). The only trick is getting used to is not having to say "to" before the destination.

去 with just a Place

The verb 去 (qù) means "to go," and is an easy way to talk about going to places.

Structure

Subject + 去 + Place

Notice that you don't need a word to express "to."

Examples

• 我 去 学校。(Present tense 去 often translates most naturally into an "-ing" form in English, expressing intent)Wǒ qù xuéxiào.I go to school. / I'm going to school.
• 他 去 图书馆 。 (Present tense 去 often translates most naturally into an "-ing" form in English, expressing intent)Tā qù túshū guǎn.He goes to the library. / He's going to the library.
• 她 去 邮局 。 (Present tense 去 often translates most naturally into an "-ing" form in English, expressing intent)Tā qù yóujú.She goes to the post office. / She's going to the post office.
• 我 去 公司 。(公司 literally means "company" but is often used to mean "office.")Wǒ qù gōngsī.I'm going to the office.
• 我 去 洗手间。Wǒ qù xǐshǒujiān.I go to the bathroom. / I'm going to the bathroom.
• 下午 我 会 去 超市。(会 is used here to indicate the future.)Xiàwǔ wǒ huì qù chāoshì.In the afternoon, I'll go to the supermarket.
• 我们 现在 去 公园。Wǒmen xiànzài qù gōngyuán.We're going to the park now.
• 晚上 十 点 我们 去 酒吧 。你 去 吗 ？(Again, expressing intent, using 去 by itself)Wǎnshàng shí diǎn wǒmen qù jiǔbā. Nǐ qù ma?At 10pm we're going to the bar. Are you going?
• 我们 去 那 个 中国 餐厅 吧。Wǒmen qù nàgè zhōngguó cāntīng ba.Let's go to that Chinese restaurant.
• 我 想 去 中国。Wǒ xiǎng qù zhōngguó.I'd like to go to China.
• 我 太太 想 去 泰国。Wǒ tàitài xiǎng qù tàiguó.My wife would like to go to Thailand.
• 昨天 我 去 了 那里。(了 is used here to express a completed action.)Zuótiān wǒ qù le nàlǐ.I went there yesterday.
• 去年 我 去 了 北京。(了 is used here to express a completed action.)Qùnián wǒ qù le běijīng.Last year I went to Beijing.

You can also use 去 (qù) for asking questions. (Note the use of question words and question particles.)

• A: 你 去 哪儿 ？Nǐ qù nǎ'er ?Where are you going?
• B: 我 去 学校 。Wǒ qù xuéxiào .Where are you going?

• B: 你 去 晚会 吗？Nǐ qù wǎnhuì ma ?Are you going to the party?
• A: 我 去。(literally, "I'm going.")Wǒ qù.Yes.

When answering a yes-no question that uses 去 (qù) you don't need anything following it. However, it's important to note that you cannot just use 去 (qù) when there is no context.

去 with a Verb

The "place" can also be some sort of action. The structure then means "go to do (something)," and "go and do (something)."

Structure

Subject + 去 + Verb

Examples

• 我 去 工作 。Wǒ qù gōngzuò.I'm going to work.
• 他 去 上课 。Tā qù shàngkè.He's going to class.
• 他们 去 买 衣服 。Tāmen qù mǎi yīfú.They are going to buy clothes.
• 我 去 看 书 。Wǒ qù kànshū.I'm going to (go) read a book.
• 你 去 告诉 他 。Nǐ qù gàosù tā.I'll go tell him.
• 我 去 做 饭 。Wǒ qù zuò fàn.I'll go cook.
• 很 多 人 去 看 电影。Hěnduō rén qù kàn diànyǐng.A lot of people are going to watch a movie.
• 我 想 去 游泳 。Wǒ xiǎng qù yóuyǒng.I'd like to go swimming.
• 我们 去 旅游 吧 。Wǒmen qù lǚyóu ba.Let's go travel.
• 九 点 去 开会 。Jiǔ diǎn qù kāihuì.At 9 o'clock, we'll (go) have the meeting.

See also

• Expressing movement

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 106)　→buy
• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 455-6) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 67) →buy