Going to do something: ～に 行く
Verb (stem) + に 行きます／来ます
Verb stem + に + 行きます／来ます = to go, come and do something. 買いに 行きます = to go and buy.
In short
To give the purpose of a trip, you take the verb without ます and add に: かいます → かいに 行きます (to go and buy). With an activity noun: 買い物に 行きます, さんぽに 行きます.
- デパートへ くつを 買いに 行きます。depāto e kutsu o kai ni ikimasuI'm going to the department store to buy shoes.
- 日本へ あそびに 来ました。nihon e asobi ni kimashitaI came to Japan to have fun.
- いっしょに さんぽに 行きませんか。issho ni sanpo ni ikimasen kaShall we go for a walk together?
The basics
To say you're going somewhere for a specific purpose (“I'm going to buy”, “I'm going to see a film”), you take the verb's stem (its ます-form without ます), add に, then 行きます, 来ます or かえります.
- デパートへ かばんを 買いに 行きます。depāto e kaban o kai ni ikimasuI'm going to the department store to buy a bag.
- 日本へ 日本語を べんきょうしに 来ました。nihon e nihongo o benkyō shi ni kimashitaI came to Japan to study Japanese.
Forming the stem
The stem is what comes before ます. For する-verbs, you keep し; you can also use the noun on its own: べんきょうに 行きます.
| ます-form | Stem + に 行きます |
|---|---|
| 買います | 買いに 行きます |
| 見ます | 見に 行きます |
| 食べます | 食べに 行きます |
| あそびます | あそびに 来ます |
| かいものします | かいものに 行きます |
Two に in the sentence
The destination can also take に: こうえんに あそびに 行きます. People then prefer へ for the destination, which is clearer to the ear: こうえんへ あそびに 行きます.
- きのう えいがを 見に 行きました。kinō eiga o mi ni ikimashitaYesterday, I went to see a film.
Common mistakes
- Putting the verb in the ます-form before に: “見ますに” is wrong, it's 見に.
- Using this structure for the English “going to” future: “I'm going to sleep” (no movement) is simply ねます.
- Forgetting を for the object: you keep えいがを 見に.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Asakusa Line (Actions) of the Tokyo subway.