来 / 去
lái / qù
Directional verbs "lai" and "qu"
来 is movement towards the speaker, 去 movement away.
来 / 去 + Place
How it works
The choice depends on where the speaker is standing. Someone in Shanghai says 我来上海一年了; someone in London says 我去上海.
Both take the destination directly. On the phone, "I'll come to your place" is 我去你那儿 — you're not there yet, so it's 去, however English phrases it.
Examples
wǒ lái shàng hǎi yì nián le
我来上海一年了。
I've been in Shanghai for a year.
nǐ shén me shí hou lái wǒ jiā?
你什么时候来我家？
When are you coming to my place?
tā qù běi jīng le
他去北京了。
He's gone to Beijing.