Using the verb "qu"

You can use 去 (qù) whenever you have somewhere to go. It's pretty easy to get a handle on this verb; the only trick is getting used to not needing a word for "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

Subj. + 去 + [Place]

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

Examples

• 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.
• 你 去 洗手间 吗？Nǐ qù xǐshǒujiān ma?Are you going to the restroom?
• 下午 我 会 去 超市。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 我们 去 酒吧 。你 去 吗 ？Wǎnshang wǒmen qù jiǔbā. Nǐ qù ma?Tonight we're going to the bar. Are you going?

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 nǎr ?Where are you going?
• B: 我 去 学校 。Wǒ qù xuéxiào .I am going to school.

• B: 你 去 我家 吗？Nǐ qù wǒjiā ma ?Are you going to my place?
• 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

Instead of a place, 去 (qù) can also be followed by some sort of action. The structure then means "go to do (something)," and "go and do (something)."

Structure

Subj. + 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.
• 你 想 去 旅行 吗？Nǐ xiǎng qù lǚxíng ma?Would you like to go travel?
• 我们 去 吃饭 吧 。Wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.Let's go eat.
• 九 点 我们 去 买 。Jiǔ diǎn wǒmen qù mǎi.At 9 o'clock, we'll go buy it.

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