Breakdown of wǒmen xiàbān yǐhòu chángcháng yìqǐ zǒu huí jiā.
家jiā
home
我们wǒmen
we
回huí
to return
一起yìqǐ
together
Questions & Answers about wǒmen xiàbān yǐhòu chángcháng yìqǐ zǒu huí jiā.
Is the word order correct? Where should time, frequency, and together go?
Yes. The typical order is:
In the sentence, that is:
- 我们 (subject) + 下班以后 (time) + 常常 (frequency) + 一起 (together) + 走 (verb) + 回 (direction) + 家 (place).
Natural alternatives:
- 下班以后，我们常常一起走回家。 (xiàbān yǐhòu, wǒmen chángcháng yìqǐ zǒu huí jiā.)
- 我们常常下班以后一起走回家。
Avoid putting 一起 before the time phrase, and avoid splitting 一起 from the verb phrase it modifies. Also, you don’t need 在 before 下班以后 in everyday speech.
Why is there no 了? Shouldn’t past actions take 了?
No, because this sentence describes a habitual action (signaled by 常常). Chinese generally does not use 了 for habits. Use 了 for specific, completed events:
- Habit: 我们下班以后常常一起走回家。
- One specific past time: 昨天我们下班以后一起走回了家。
What’s the difference between 走, 走路, and 走回家?
- 走 can mean “to go/leave” or “to walk,” depending on context. Alone in everyday speech, 我走了 often means “I’m leaving.”
- 走路 specifically means “to walk (on foot).”
- 走回家 means “to walk back home,” where 走 is the motion, 回 is the direction “back,” and 家 is the goal.
You can also say 走路回家; it’s a bit more explicit about going on foot. Both are natural.