How to use 去
去 + Place
去 describes going away toward a destination. Put the person first and the destination after 去; the verb can connect directly to a place name. English uses “to” in many of these sentences, but Mandarin does not require a separate destination marker between 去 and the place.
An action phrase can also follow 去, giving the purpose of going rather than naming a destination. The surrounding conversation can supply a destination or action that is omitted in a short reply. A bare 去 therefore works naturally when its meaning is already clear, but a new statement often needs more information. Time and intention depend on the wider sentence, not on 去 alone.
Examples with pinyin and English
我去公司。
I'm going to the office.
你去洗手间吗？
Are you going to the restroom?
下午我会去超市。
In the afternoon, I'll go to the supermarket.
我们现在去公园。
We're going to the park now.
What to remember
- Let destinations follow 去 directly.
- An action can express the trip's purpose.
- Short replies rely on shared context.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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