Go somewhere to do something
去 + 地点 + 动词
How it works
Two verb phrases can share one subject. In this pattern, the first tells us about going somewhere and the second tells us the purpose of going.
Keep the actions in that order. Chinese does not need an extra word corresponding to English “to” before the purpose verb.
The pattern
Example sentences
我去学校上课。
I go to school to attend class.
她去商店买书。
She goes to the shop to buy books.
Pinyin generally shows dictionary tones; tones can change in connected speech.
What to watch for
Do not insert 是 between the two verb phrases. 我去学校上课 is already a complete sentence.
Try it
Combine “我去商店” and “我买茶” into one sentence.
Show answer
我去商店买茶。 Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi chá. I go to the shop to buy tea.
Syllabus reference
The topic is listed in the official 2025 syllabus. The explanation, examples and practice on this page are written for SenMandarin.
SenMandarin · Updated 2026-10-22