8.6 Verbs for Movement I

We will learn three common verbs for movement in this lesson. Notice below that we place the locations right after the verbs, without needing to add a preposition in between as we do in English.

The verb 去 heoi3 means ‘to go’. We use 去 heoi3 to indicate movement from our current position or where we usually stay (e.g., our country, city, home or office) to a more distant position.

The verb 嚟 lai4 (also pronounced as lei4) means ‘to come’. We use 嚟 lai4 to indicate movement from a more distant position to our current position or where we usually stay.

The verb 返 faan1 means ‘to go back’. We use 返 faan1 to indicate movement from our current position to our prior position or where we usually stay.