Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ gāng huílái, tā yě gāng huí jiā.

回来 = “come back (to where the speaker is).” It’s a verb + directional complement (回
- 来).
回家 = “go/return home.” 家 is an object (“home”) and there’s no explicit direction relative to the speaker.
Use 回来/回去 when you care about direction relative to the speaker; use 回家/回到家 when you care about the destination “home.”

Could I say 她也刚回来 instead of 她也刚回家?

Yes, if she came back to where the speaker is (e.g., your current location). If she went to her own home (not where you are), 回家 (or 回去了) is more accurate. So choose based on perspective.

Do I need 了 here? What’s the nuance of adding it (e.g., 她也刚回家了)?

With 刚: both with and without 了 are common.
- No 了: neutral “just did (recently).”
- With 了: emphasizes completion/new state (“and now it’s the case”). E.g., 她刚回家了 implies “now she’s at home.”
With arrival/departure verbs, 了 is very natural: 他刚走了; 我刚回来了.

What’s the difference among 刚, 刚才, and 刚刚?

刚 (adverb before the verb): “just (recently),” relative/elastic.
刚才 (time word “a moment ago”): usually refers to a very short time before now; if the event is completed, a perfective like 了 is typical: 他刚才走了.
刚刚 (colloquial): can behave like either 刚 or 刚才. E.g., 我刚刚回来 / 他刚刚走了.

Where should 也 go? Is 她刚也回家 okay?

Put 也 right after the subject and before other pre-verbal adverbs like 刚/已经 and before the verb: 她也刚回家.
她刚也回家 sounds odd/unidiomatic in most contexts.
Pattern to remember: Subject + 也/都 + (time words) + (other adverbs) + Verb (+ object).

Could I combine the two clauses with 都?

If both subjects share the same predicate, you can say: 我们都刚回来 (“We both just came back (here)”).
也 = “also/too” (adds one more item); 都 = “all/both” (applies to the whole set). With mixed predicates (回来 vs 回家), keep two clauses.

What’s the difference between 回家, 回到家, and 回家里?

回家: the standard, idiomatic “go/return home.”
回到家: stresses the result/arrival (“return and arrive at home”).
回家里: generally unnatural; say 回到家里 if you really need “to inside the home.”
Don’t say 回来家; say 回来了 (if “here” is home) or 回到家.

Does 家 mean “house” or “home” here?

家 means “home/home address” as a destination. It’s about where you live, not the physical building per se. For the building you might say 房子; for “inside the home,” 家里.

Why is there a comma between the clauses? Could I use 和?

Chinese often uses a comma to join two independent clauses (like an English semicolon).
和 links nouns/NPs, not full clauses. If you want a clausal connector, use 而且/并且/也 depending on meaning—but the comma alone is perfectly natural here.

How do I negate sentences like this, especially with 刚?

Completed past event: use 没(有)
- verb. E.g., 她也没回家 (“She also didn’t go home”).
To mean “just now didn’t,” prefer 刚才: 她刚才没回家.
不回家 = won’t/don’t go home (habit/intention), not a past-completed event.

Where do time words go relative to 也 and 刚?

A common order is: Subject + Time + 也/都 + 刚/已经 + Verb + Object.
- 她昨天也刚回家了.
- 我刚才回来; 她也刚回家了.
Avoid putting 也 directly before the time word: 她也昨天刚回家 sounds off.

Can I use 刚…就… to show immediacy between the two actions?

Yes. 刚…就… means “as soon as A, then B.” For example:

我刚回来，她就回家了. This emphasizes that her going home happened immediately after you came back, a slightly different nuance from two standalone “刚.”

In speech, is there any difference between 她 and 他 here?

No. Both are pronounced tā. The gender distinction (她 vs 他) exists only in writing; in spoken Mandarin they sound the same.