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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<title>Using "lai" as a dummy verb</title>
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<h1>Using "lai" as a dummy verb
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<p>The verb 来 (lái) can be used as a "dummy verb," similar to the way "do" is used in English.
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<p>A scenario: Imagine you are with your some friends making dinner. There is a bottle of Chinese pickles that you want to open but can't because the lid is so tight. You start passing it around to see who can open it, and no one is able to, until your body-builder friend comes in and says, "我来!" He is saying, "Let me do it!"</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Examples </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4.1 Books </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4.2 Academic Articles</span></li>
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<h3>Structure</h3>

<p>The structure for using 来 as a dummy verb is very basic. Usually it is a very short phrase, kind of like "your turn!," "let me give it a shot!," or "you do it!" in English. Usually it is used with 你 or 我 as the subject, and it ends with the 来. Sometimes it can end with a 吧.</p>

<div class="deux">(让 +) Subj. + 来</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 来 ！
Nǐ lái!
You do it! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 来 吧。
Wǒ lái ba.
Let me do it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">让 他 自己 来 。
Ràng tā zìjǐ lái.
Let him do it himself. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">还是 你们 自己 来 吧 。
Háishì nǐmen zìjǐ lái ba.
It's better that you do it by yourselves. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 写 得 好看 ，你 来 吧 。
Nǐ xiě de hǎokàn, nǐ lái ba.
You write well. You write it.</span><br/></li>
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<h3>A few example dialogues:</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 谁 能 读 一 下 这 段 话 ？
A: Shéi néng dú yīxià zhè duàn huà?
Who can read this passage? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 老师 ，我 来 。
B: Lāoshī, wǒ lái.
Teacher, let me read it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 你 怎么 做 得 这么 慢 ？
A: Nǐ zěnme zuò de zhème màn?
How come you do it so slowly? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 你 觉得 我 慢 ？你 来 ！
B: Nǐ juéde wǒ màn? Nǐ lái!
You think I'm slow? You do it! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">A: 这个 箱子 真 重 ！
A: Zhège xiāngzi zhēn zhòng!
This box is so heavy! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">B: 我 来 吧 。
B: Wǒ lái ba.
Let me help.</span><br/></li>
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<h3>See also</h3>

<h3>Sources and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 54) →buy</span><br/></li>
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<h4>Academic Articles</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">现代汉语形式动词研究 Research on Dummy Verb in Modern Chinese </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">現代漢語中的形式動詞 Dummy Verbs in Contemporary Chinese</span><br/></li>
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