V嚟V去

Back and Forth

Level 3Sounds Like lai4 heoi3

Use V嚟V去 (V-lai4-V-heoi3) to describe an action that repeats in a cycle, moves back and forth, or is done repeatedly without reaching a clear result.

How It Works

The V嚟V去 structure is a common colloquial way to express iterative or repetitive actions in Cantonese.

1. Physical Movement
When used with motion verbs like 行 (haang4 - 'walk') or 搬 (bun1 - 'move'), it describes literal back-and-forth movement. For example, 行嚟行去 (haang4 lai4 haang4 heoi3) means 'walking back and forth' or 'pacing.'

2. Abstract or Mental Actions
When used with verbs like 諗 (nam2 - 'think') or 搵 (wan2 - 'search'), it indicates that the process is being repeated over and over. In these cases, it often carries a nuance of fruitlessness or indecision. It is very common to follow this pattern with 都 (dou1) to show that despite the repetition, the result is still negative (e.g., 'thought and thought but still don't know').

3. Fixed Expression: 嚟嚟去去
A special case of this pattern is the fixed expression 嚟嚟去去 (lai4 lai4 heoi3 heoi3). It is used to describe a limited set of people or things that keep appearing, implying a lack of variety. For example, "嚟嚟去去都係嗰幾個人" (It's always just those same few people).

4. Grammatical Constraints

  • Monosyllabic Verbs: This pattern usually uses one-syllable verbs. Two-syllable verbs are less usual in this frame.
  • No Objects Inside: You cannot place an object between the verbs. If there is an object, it must be moved to the start of the sentence (Topicalization).
  • No Aspect Markers: Do not add 咗 (zo2) or 緊 (gan2) inside the frame; the frame itself provides the aspect.

Examples (5)

  1. 佢喺房入面行嚟行去。

    He is walking back and forth in the room.

    Word by Word: He at room inside walk come walk go.

    Here, 行嚟行去 (haang4 lai4 haang4 heoi3) describes the physical motion of pacing.

  2. 呢件事我諗嚟諗去都唔明。

    I've thought about this matter over and over, but I still don't understand.

    Word by Word: This matter I think come think go even not understand.

    The object 'this matter' is moved to the front. The use of 都 (dou1) emphasizes that the repeated thinking led to no result.

  3. 我搵嚟搵去都搵唔到條鎖匙。

    I searched all over but still couldn't find the key.

    Word by Word: I search come search go even search not successful classifier key.

    搵嚟搵去 (wan2 lai4 wan2 heoi3) shows the repetitive effort of searching everywhere.

  4. 你轉嚟轉去 做乜嘢呀？

    Why are you tossing and turning / spinning around?

    Word by Word: You turn come turn go do what [particle]?

    轉 (zyun3) means to turn or rotate; the pattern shows the action is continuous and repetitive. 做乜嘢 (zou6 mat1 je5) is used here to ask 'why' or 'what for'.

  5. 佢哋搬嚟搬去好麻煩。

    They keep moving (house/items) back and forth, it's a hassle.

    Word by Word: They move come move go very troublesome.

    搬 (bun1) refers to moving heavy objects or changing residence.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the object inside the V嚟V去 frame.

    我諗呢件事嚟諗去。
    呢件事我諗嚟諗去。

    In Cantonese, the V嚟V去 frame cannot be broken by an object. You must move the object to the front of the sentence (topicalization).

  • Using a two-syllable verb in the frame.

    Different Meaning我考慮嚟考慮去。
    我諗嚟諗去。

    This pattern is most natural with single-syllable verbs like 諗 (nam2). Two-syllable verbs such as 考慮嚟考慮去 are also heard, but 諗嚟諗去 is the everyday form.

How It Connects

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V嚟V去Level 3Back and Forth

Learn This First

To understand the 'V嚟V去' pattern, you need to be familiar with the basic directional verbs 嚟 (come) and 去 (go). This pattern uses these directions metaphorically to describe actions that are repeated, done back and forth, or attempted multiple times.

Words in This Pattern