Using "lai" as a dummy verb
The verb 来 (lái) can be used as a "dummy verb", similar to the way "do" is used in English.
Structure
The structure for using 来 as a dummy verb is very basic. Usually it is a very short phrase, kind of like "your turn!", "let me give it a shot!", or "you do it!" in English. Usually it is used with 你 or 我 as the subject, and it ends with the 来. Sometimes it can end with a 吧.
A scenario: Imagine you are with your some friends making dinner. There is a bottle of Chinese pickles that you want to open, but can't because the lid is so tight. You start passing it around to see who can open it, and no one is able to, until your body-builder friend comes in and says, "我来!" He is saying, "Let me do it!"
Subj. + 来 + (optional 吧)
Examples
- 让 我 来 吧。Let me do it.
- 你 来！ You do it!
Sources and further reading
Books
Academic Articles
- 现代汉语形式动词研究 Research on Dummy Verb in Modern Chinese
- 現代漢語中的形式動詞 Dummy Verbs in Contemporary Chinese
