Directional Complements: 來, 去 and 起來 — Taiwanese Hokkien Grammar

(lâilâilai5) come and (khìkhìkhi3) go are ordinary verbs, but they also attach to other verbs to show which way the action runs relative to the speaker — towards, or away.

我著愛去買物件。
guá tio̍h-ài khì bé mi̍h-kiānngóa tio̍h-ài khì bé mi̍h-kiāⁿgua2 tioh8-ai3 khi3 be2 mih8-kiann7
I have to go and buy some things.
去店仔共我買一打雞卵。
khì tiàm-á kā guá bé tsi̍t tánn ke-nn̄gkhì tiàm-á kā góa bé chi̍t táⁿ ke-nn̄gkhi3 tiam3-a2 ka7 gua2 be2 tsit8 tann2 ke1-nng7
Go to the shop and buy me a dozen eggs.

Attached to Another Verb

After a verb they add direction, and English usually handles the same job with a particle: go back, come in, go out.

我這馬想欲轉去。
guá tsit-má siūnn-beh tńg khìgóa chit-má siūⁿ-beh tńg khìgua2 tsit4-ma2 siunn7-beh4 tng2 khi3
I want to go back now.
你袂使入去。
lí bē-sái ji̍p khìlí bē-sái ji̍p khìli2 be7-sai2 jip8 khi3
You may not go in.

來 as a Proposal

Put (lâilâilai5) in FRONT of a verb and it stops being about direction: it proposes the action, like English let's. This is why so many suggestions begin (lán lâilán lâilan2 lai5).

咱來食披薩。
lán lâi tsia̍h phi-sàlán lâi chia̍h phi-sàlan2 lai5 tsiah8 phi1-sa3
Let's eat pizza.
咱來算：一，兩，三，四，五
lán lâi sǹg tsi̍t nn̄g sann sì gōolán lâi sǹg chi̍t nn̄g saⁿ sì gō͘lan2 lai5 sng3 tsit8 nng7 sann1 si3 goo7
Let's count: one, two, three, four, five.

Compound Directions

The two combine with other verbs to give a small set of fixed compounds — (tńg khìtńg khìtng2 khi3) go back, (ji̍p khìji̍p khìjip8 khi3) go in, (--lo̍h-khì--lo̍h-khì--loh8-khi3) go on, carry on. Learn them as units; the direction is built in. Note also that (khìkhìkhi3) before a place simply means go to — Taiwanese needs no separate word for to here.

起來 — Seeming

(--khí-lâi--khí-lâi--khi2-lai5) literally adds up, but after a verb of perception it takes on a quite different sense: how something SEEMS. (khuànn --khí-lâikhoàⁿ --khí-lâikhuann3 --khi2-lai5) is looks (like), and the same frame gives sounds like and tastes like.

你看起來無爽快。
lí khuànn --khí-lâi bô sóng-khuàilí khoàⁿ --khí-lâi bô sóng-khoàili2 khuann3 --khi2-lai5 bo5 song2-khuai3
You don't look well.
看起來袂䆀。
khuànn --khí-lâi bē báikhoàⁿ --khí-lâi bē báikhuann3 --khi2-lai5 be7 bai2
It doesn't look bad.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Taiwanese Hokkien course

62 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:

我這馬想欲轉去。
guá tsit-má siūnn-beh tńg khì.góa chit-má siūⁿ-beh tńg khì.gua2 tsit4-ma2 siunn7-beh4 tng2 khi3.
I want to go home now.
Lesson 71
知影。咱來食中國菜。
tsai-iánn. lán lâi tsia̍h tiong-kok-tshài.chai-iáⁿ. lán lâi chia̍h tiong-kok-chhài.tsai1-iann2. lan2 lai5 tsiah8 tiong1-kok4-tshai3.
Yes. Let's eat Chinese food.
Lesson 127
我去購物中心。
guá khì kòo-bu̍t tiong-sim.góa khì kò͘-bu̍t tiong-sim.gua2 khi3 koo3-but8 tiong1-sim1.
I went to the shopping mall.
Lesson 172

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