Sentence PatternsHSK 4

The 是... 的 construction for indicating purpose

The 是...的 pattern emphasizes purpose, often using 来 (come) or 去 (go) to show the direction of the action. Use it when the subject is a person and you want to highlight the intention behind their coming or going—just remember to end with 的.

Structure

Subj. + 是 + 来/去 + Verb + 的
used with 来 (come) or 去 (go) to show purpose

Examples

  • 我是来玩的。
    Wǒ shì lái wán de.
    I came for fun.
  • 我们都是去出差的。
    Wǒ men dōu shì qù chū chāi de.
    We are all going on business trips.
  • 他们都是来实习的。
    Tā men dōu shì lái shí xí de.
    They all came here to do internships.
  • 你真的是来帮我们的吗？
    Nǐ zhēn de shì lái bāng wǒ men de ma?
    Are you really here to help us?
  • 我们不是去玩的，是去做调查的。
    Wǒ men bú shì qù wán de, shì qù zuò diào chá de.
    We're not going for fun. We're going to do research.

Words that use this