How to use 来着
Recalled statement / recall question + 来着
来着 is a conversational sentence ending associated with recalling an earlier fact, activity, or piece of information. In a statement, it can bring a past situation back to the listener's attention. In a question, it signals an effort to retrieve something previously known, much like asking what a name was again. It is not a general replacement for every past-time expression.
Put 来着 at the end of the recalled statement or question. Keep any past reference or shared information clear enough to support the recollection. The fixed expression 我说什么来着 calls attention to an earlier prediction, often with an I-told-you-so tone. Its conversational flavor and memory-related function matter more than a mechanical rule that all completed actions require it.
Examples with pinyin and English
那家店叫什么来着？
What was that shop called again?
来着 marks retrieval of a previously known name.
我刚才把钥匙放在桌上来着。
I put the keys on the table a moment ago, as I recall.
The sentence brings a recent action back to attention.
我说什么来着！这条路果然堵车了。
What did I tell you! This road is jammed, just as expected.
The fixed expression points back to a confirmed prediction.
What to remember
- Put 来着 at the end of a recollection.
- Use recall questions for information previously known.
- Recognize the pointed tone of 我说什么来着.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.