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tā huí jiā le.

他tā　回huí　家jiā　了le。tā huí jiā le.
He went back home.
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Questions & Answers about tā huí jiā le.

What does 了 do here? Is it just past tense?
  • Here 了 is the sentence-final particle marking a new situation/change of state: the situation is now “he’s at home (because he went).”
  • Chinese doesn’t mark tense the way English does; 了 is not a general “past tense” marker.
  • Natural English renderings: “He’s gone home,” “He went home,” “He’s home now.”
What’s the difference between 他回家了 and 他回了家?
  • 他回家了 (tā huí jiā le) emphasizes the new state/result now: he’s not here anymore because he went home.
  • 他回了家 (tā huí le jiā) uses perfective 了 on the verb and is common in narratives, often followed by more info: 他回了家就睡觉 “… once he got home, he went to sleep.”
  • As a standalone update, 他回家了 is more natural.
How do I ask “Has he gone home?”
  • 他回家了吗？ (tā huí jiā le ma?)
  • Alternatives: 他回家了没有？/ 他回家没有？ (… méiyǒu?)
  • Typical answers: 回家了。 / 还没(有)。 / 没回家。
How do I say “He hasn’t gone home (yet)” vs “He didn’t go home”?
  • “Hasn’t yet”: 他还没(有)回家。
  • “Didn’t go (at that time)”: 他没(有)回家。
  • Note: 他不回家了 means “He’s not going home anymore (change of plan).”
Why is there no word for “to” before 家?
  • With motion verbs like 回/去/来, places can be direct objects: 回家、去学校、来公司.
  • You can also use 到 + place when you want to highlight arrival: 到家、到学校.
What’s the difference between 回, 回来, and 回去 here?
  • 回 = return/go back (neutral about speaker’s location): 他回家了.
  • 回来 = come back to where the speaker is: 他回来了 (he’s back here now).
  • 回去 = go back away from where the speaker is: 他回去了; with a place: 他回家去了 (he went back home, away from here).
Should I use 家 or 家里?
  • With “go/return home,” use 回家 (most idiomatic).
  • “At home” can be 在家 or 在家里; both are fine, 在家 is simpler.
  • If you want to stress arrival inside the home: 回到家里.
How do I say “He is at home” or “He arrived home”?
  • “He is at home”: 他在家。
  • “He arrived/got home”: 他到家了。 (focus on arrival)
    他回到家了。 is also possible and emphasizes reaching home.
Where do time words and adverbs like “yesterday,” “already,” “just now” go?
  • Place them before the verb:
    他昨天回家了。 / 他已经回家了。 / 他刚才回家了。
  • 已经 often pairs well with 了 to stress completion: 他已经回家了。
Is 了 required? Can I say 他回家?
  • For a one-time completed event/update, 了 is natural: 他回家了。
  • 他回家 without 了 can sound habitual or like a plan/schedule: 他每天六点回家。
  • In casual speech about yourself leaving right now, 我回家了 is a common farewell; 我回家 can also be heard as “I’m heading home (now),” but adding 了 is safer as a status update.
How do I pronounce each word?
  • 他 tā (first tone), 回 huí (second), 家 jiā (first), 了 le (neutral tone here).
  • The particle 了 in this sentence is read “le,” not “liǎo.”
Can I drop the subject?
  • Yes, if context is clear. In response to “Where is he?”, you can simply say: 回家了。
  • Subject dropping is common in Chinese when it’s obvious who/what you’re talking about.
What’s the difference between 他走了 and 他回家了?
  • 他走了 = “He left (here).” Destination unspecified.
  • 他回家了 = “He went home.” Destination is specifically home.
Can I say 回我的家 or 回他家?
  • Prefer the concise forms: 回我家、回他家、回你家.
  • 回我的家 is grammatical but often sounds more formal/emphatic than needed.
  • In the original sentence, 回家 usually means “return to one’s own home.” If you mean someone else’s, specify: 他回他家了。