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tā yòu lái wǒ jiā le, wǒ ràng tā xiān jìnlái.

他tā　又yòu　来lái　我wǒ　家jiā　了le，　我wǒ　让ràng　他tā　先xiān　进来jìnlái。tā yòu lái wǒ jiā le, wǒ ràng tā xiān jìnlái.
He came to my place again; I asked him to come in first.
FromLesson 6inHardcore Chinese
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Questions & Answers about tā yòu lái wǒ jiā le, wǒ ràng tā xiān jìnlái.

Why is 又 used instead of 再?
  • 又 marks a repetition that has already happened (often with sentence-final 了): 他又来我家了 (He came again).
  • 再 is for a future or hypothetical repetition: 他明天再来 (He’ll come again tomorrow).
  • Avoid using 再...了 for past events; that combination is generally wrong for this meaning.
What does the sentence-final 了 do in the first clause?
It’s the change-of-state/assertive 了, signaling a new situation: “He has (now) come again.” Without 了, 他又来我家 would read more like a habitual/general statement rather than a newly occurred event.
Why is 了 at the end instead of after 来?

With motion verbs like 来/去 that take a place complement, the perfective/change marker 了 usually goes after the whole clause:

  • Correct: 他又来我家了.
  • Odd: 他又来了我家. If you want 了 right after the verb, use 到: 他又到了我家.
Can I say 他又到我家来 or 他又来到我家? Are they different from 他又来我家了?

All are acceptable with slight stylistic differences:

  • 他又来我家了: very common, colloquial.
  • 他又到我家来了: emphasizes arrival to a location (到…来).
  • 他又来到我家了: more formal/literary feel (来到 as a compound). They convey the same basic idea.
Why is it 我家 instead of 我的家?

我家 is the default, idiomatic way to say “my home/household,” especially as a location: 我家在北京.
我的家 is also correct but can sound more formal or emphatic, often treating 家 as a concrete noun: 我的家很温暖.

What exactly does 让 mean here? How is it different from 叫 and 请?
  • 让 + 人 + VP: let/allow, have/make, or tell someone to do something (neutral; context decides the nuance).
  • 叫 + 人 + VP: tell/order someone to do something (more directive).
  • 请 + 人 + VP: politely invite/request.
    In this sentence, 让 is a neutral “let/have him come in.”
Why is 先 placed before 进来? Can I say 我先让他进来?
  • 我让他先进来: He goes in first (before others/other actions); 先 modifies 进来.
  • 我先让他进来: The first thing I did was to allow him in (before doing something else); 先 modifies 让.
    Both are grammatical but emphasize different “firsts.”
What’s the difference between 进来 and 进去?
  • 进来: enter toward where the speaker is (or the deictic “here”).
  • 进去: enter away from the speaker (into “there”).
    Examples:
  • 我在屋里：请进来。
  • 我在屋外，对他指屋里：你先进去。
Can I drop 来 and just say 进?

Yes, 进 alone means “enter,” and you’ll hear it in brief instructions: 我让他进.
But 进来/进去 are more idiomatic in full sentences because they encode direction clearly: 我让他进来 / 我让他进去.

If I’m outside the house, what should I say?
Use 进去: 我让他先进去 (I let him go in first [away from me]).
Does 又 carry a complaining tone?
It often can, especially with 又 + V + 了 for repeated events: 他又迟到了 (He’s late again). But context matters; it can be neutral. To sound explicitly neutral or positive, add framing: 他又来我家了，这次聊得很好. You can also use 又一次 for a neutral/formal tone: 他又一次来我家了.
Why isn’t there a 了 in the second clause? Should it be 我让他先进来了?

You don’t need 了 there to show past; Chinese often marks just one clause to anchor the timeline.

  • 我让他先进来: neutral narration; the result is understood from context.
  • 我让他先进来了: puts 了 on the result (进来), emphasizing that he indeed ended up inside first. It’s possible but less necessary in simple narration.
  • Don’t put 了 after 让 here (我让了他…)—that means a different verb “to yield/give way.”
Can I say 来进 instead of 进来?
No. Directional compounds are fixed as “Verb + 来/去”: 进来, 出去, 上来, 下去, 回来, 过来. 来进 is ungrammatical.
Is 他又来了我家 acceptable?

No. Keep 了 after the whole clause with motion + place:

  • 他又来我家了.
    or use 到:
  • 他又到我家来了.
    他又来了 is fine only when no place follows.

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