Directional Complements: 來, 去 and 起來 — Sixian 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

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

開了，請落來啊。
koiˊ leˋ qiangˋ log loiˇ akhôi lé chhiáng lo̍k lòi a
It's open now; please come down.
你做得喊服務員過來無？
nˇ zo dedˋ hemˊ fug vu ienˇ go loiˇ moˇǹ cho tet hêm fu̍k vu yèn ko lòi mò
Could you call the waiter over?
佢當難打開來。
giˇ dongˊ nanˇ daˋ koiˊ loiˇkì tông nàn tá khôi lòi
It is very hard to open up.

去 — Away From the Speaker

(hi) 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。
giˇ di ge koiˊ munˇ hoˋ bunˊ ngaiˇ log hikì ti ke khôi mùn hó pûn ngài lo̍k hi
She's opening the door to let me go down.
𠊎上禮拜去紐約了。
ngaiˇ song liˊ bai hi neuˋ iogˋ leˋngài song lî pai hi néu yok lé
I went to New York last week.

起來 — Up, and Securing

(hiˋ loiˇhí 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。
ngaiˇ log loiˇ iˊ heu giˇ lauˊ munˇ guanˊ hiˋ loiˇ leˋngài lo̍k lòi yî heu kì lâu mùn kôan hí lòi lé
After I came down, she closed the door.
𠊎認為你應該愛摎錢貯起來投資。
ngaiˇ ngin viˇ nˇ in goiˊ oi lauˊ qienˇ duˋ hiˋ loiˇ teuˇ ziiˊngài ngin vì ǹ yin kôi oi lâu chhièn tú hí lòi thèu chṳ̂
I think you should save the money up and invest it.
記得毋好同這扇門鎖起來。
gi dedˋ mˇ hoˋ tungˇ iaˋ san munˇ soˋ hiˋ loiˇki tet m̀ hó thùng yá san mùn só hí lòi
Remember not to lock this door.

After a Verb of the Senses

Following a verb of seeing or hearing, (hiˋ loiˇhí 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。
nˇ kon hiˋ loiˇ moˇ songˋ kuaiǹ khon hí lòi mò sóng khoai
You don't look well.

來 — In Order To

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

𠊎有罅个錢來買車仔。
ngaiˇ iuˊ la ge qienˇ loiˇ maiˊ caˊ eˋngài yû la ke chhièn lòi mâi chhâ é
I have enough money to buy a car.
你準備好愛來食朝吂？
nˇ zunˋ pi hoˋ oi loiˇ siid zeuˊ mangˇǹ chún phi hó oi lòi sṳ̍t chêu màng
Are you ready to come and eat breakfast yet?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Sixian 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。
ngaiˇ hi gieu vud zungˊ ximˊ.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, ngaiˇ diˊ fabˋ guedˋ. ngaiˇ teuˇ baiˋ siidˋ hi go fabˋ guedˋ.ô, ngài tî fap koet. ngài thèu pái sṳt hi ko fap koet.
Oh, I know France. I have been to France before.
Lesson 208
你天光日會轉來無？
nˇ tienˊ gongˊ ngidˋ voi zonˋ loiˇ moˇ?ǹ thiên kông ngit voi chón lòi mò?
Will you be back tomorrow?
Lesson 258

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