Remove ます from a verb and add に行きます to express the purpose of going: 飲みます becomes 飲みに行きます. Compare the examples and table, then try the exercises.

The idea

Remove ます from a verb and add に行きます to express the purpose of going: 飲みます becomes 飲みに行きます. The に after the verb stem marks purpose; a destination can separately take へ or に. The same pattern works with 来ます: 遊びに来ます means “come to visit or spend time together”.

Patterns to compare
FormExample
買かいます買かいに行いきます
食たべます食たべに行いきます
勉強べんきょうします勉強べんきょうしに行いきます
遊あそびます遊あそびに来きます

Examples

  • 店みせへパンを買かいに行いきます。I go to the shop to buy bread.
  • 公園こうえんへ友達ともだちに会あいに行いきます。I go to the park to meet a friend.
  • 図書館としょかんへ本ほんを借かりに行いきます。I go to the library to borrow a book.
  • 日本にほんへ日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうしに行いきます。I go to Japan to study Japanese.
  • 友達ともだちが家いえに遊あそびに来きます。A friend comes to my home to visit.
  • 駅えきへ母ははを迎むかえに行いきました。I went to the station to pick up my mother.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not use the dictionary form before purpose に: say 買いに行きます, not 買うに行きます.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. 飲のみます → ＿＿に行いきます。（飲のみ／飲のむ）

    Show answer or example answer

    飲み

    飲み — Remove ます from a verb and add に行きます to express the purpose of going: 飲みます becomes 飲みに行きます.

  2. Choose the correct option. 店みせへパンを買かい＿＿行いきます。（に／で）

    Show answer or example answer

    に

    に — The に after the verb stem marks purpose; a destination can separately take へ or に.

  3. Choose the correct option. 友達ともだちが家いえに遊あそびに＿＿。（来きます／飲のみます）

    Show answer or example answer

    来ます

    来ます — The same pattern works with 来ます: 遊びに来ます means “come to visit or spend time together”.

Use it today

Make two sentences about your own life with this pattern. Check their form and meaning against the examples.