Directional Complements: 來, 去 and 起來 — Hailu Hakka Grammar

A verb of action is regularly followed by a second verb of motion which says which way the action goes. English folds this into prepositions and particles — come down, go out, shut up — while Hakka builds it openly, and the direction is always given relative to the speaker.

來 — Towards the Speaker

(loilòi) after a verb marks the motion as coming towards where the speaker is.

開了，請落來啊。
koiˋ leˋ ciangˊ logˋ loi a+khôi lê tshiáng lo̍k lòi å
It's open now; please come down.
你做得喊服務員過來無？
ngi zoˇ ded hamˇ fugˋ vuˇ rhan goˇ loi mongì tso tet ham fu̍k vu yàn ko lòi mò
Could you call the waiter over?
佢當難打開來。
gi dongˋ nan daˊ koiˋ loikì tông nàn tá khôi lòi
It is very hard to open up.

去 — Away From the Speaker

(hiˇhi) marks motion away. On its own it is the ordinary verb to go, and after another verb it carries that same sense of moving off.

佢在該開門，好分𠊎落去。
gi diˇ gai koiˋ mun hoˊ bunˋ ngai logˋ hiˇkì ti kài khôi mùn hó pûn ngài lo̍k hi
She's opening the door so she can let me go down.
𠊎上禮拜去紐約了。
ngai shong+ liˋ baiˇ hiˇ neuˊ rhog leˋngài sho̊ng lî pai hi néu yok lê
I went to New York last week.

起來 — Up, and Securing

(hiˊ loihí lòi) after a verb adds up. Beyond literal upward motion it marks an action that gathers something in or makes it secure — shutting, locking, putting away, saving.

𠊎落來以後佢摎門關起來了。
ngai logˋ loi rhiˋ heu+ gi lauˋ mun guanˋ hiˊ loi leˋngài lo̍k lòi yî he̊u kì lâu mùn kôan hí lòi lê
After I came down, she shut the door.
𠊎認為你應該愛摎錢貯起來投資。
ngai ngin+ vui ngi rhinˇ goiˋ oiˇ lauˋ cien duˇ hiˊ loi teu ziiˋngài ngi̊n vùi ngì yin kôi oi lâu tshièn tu hí lòi thèu tsṳ̂
I think you should save the money up and invest it.
記得毋好摎這扇門鎖起來。
giˇ ded m hoˊ lauˋ liaˊ shanˇ mun soˊ hiˊ loiki tet m̀ hó lâu liá shan mùn só hí lòi
Remember not to lock this door.

After a Verb of the Senses

Following a verb of seeing or hearing, (hiˊ loihí lòi) gives the sense of judging by appearances, and the pair becomes the ordinary way of saying look or sound as a matter of impression rather than fact.

你看起來無爽快。
ngi konˇ hiˊ loi mo songˊ kuaiˇngì khon hí lòi mò sóng khoai
You don't look well.

來 — In Order To

Standing between two verbs, (loilòi) marks the second as the purpose of the first, corresponding to English in order to.

𠊎有罅个錢來買車仔。
ngai rhiuˋ la+ gaiˇ cien loi maiˋ chaˋ erngài yiû lå kai tshièn lòi mâi chhâ èr
I have enough money to buy a car.
你準備好愛來食朝吂？
ngi zhunˊ pi+ hoˊ oiˇ loi shidˋ zhauˋ mangngì chún phi̊ hó oi lòi shi̍t châu màng
Are you ready to come and eat breakfast yet?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Hailu Hakka course

53 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 41. A few of them, with the words “Directional Complements: 來, 去 and 起來” is about in bold:

𠊎去購物中心。
ngai hiˇ gieuˇ vudˋ zhungˋ simˋ.ngài hi kieu vu̍t chûng sîm.
I went to the shopping mall.
Lesson 172
哦，𠊎知法國。𠊎頭擺識去過法國。
oˊ, ngai diˋ fab gued. ngai teu baiˊ shid hiˇ goˇ fab gued.ó, ngài tî fap koet. ngài thèu pái shit hi ko fap koet.
Oh, I know France. I have been to France before.
Lesson 208
你天光日會轉來無？
ngi tienˋ gongˋ ngid voi+ zhonˊ loi mo?ngì thiên kông ngit vo̊i chón lòi mò?
Will you be back tomorrow?
Lesson 258

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