Mandarin Chinese reference
来
lái
to come
Verb pattern · 9 form tables
Mandarin verbs do not change for tense. These tables show aspect, negation, questions and sentence patterns. Short phrases omit the subject; full examples retain theirs.
Audio requires a compatible voice in your browser.
Aspect
Plain statement
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | láicome |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lái lecame |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lái guohave come before |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào lái lebe about to come |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì láiwill come |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù láido not come |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi láidid not come |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lái le ma?did you come? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yǒu méiyǒu lái?did you come? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.