Questions & Answers about wǒ gāng huílái, tā yě gāng huí jiā.
Why is it 回来 in the first clause but 回家 in the second? What’s the difference?
- 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.