来着 (láizhe) is a Chinese auxiliary word used at the end of a sentence to indicate that something already happened. It adds a sense of recalling or confirming a past event.
Structure:
Sentence + 来着
Notes:
来着 cannot be used in negative sentences (so no 不 or 没有).
In questions, it is only used with 什么, 谁, or 哪儿.
Special phrase – “I told you so”:
我说什么来着！
Used to mean “Didn’t I tell you?” or “See, I was right!”
Sample Sentences
你不是说过要帮我来着吗？Didn’t you say you would help me?
你说的那件事我早就听说来着。I had already heard about what you mentioned (if I remember correctly).
我说什么来着，你应该早点准备！Didn’t I tell you? You should have prepared earlier!
In a Text
上周末我去了一次郊游，朋友们早就约好时间来着。我本来以为会很早到，结果路上堵车，迟到了半个小时。到了那里，大家已经开始吃午饭了，我错过了最想吃的烤鸡。我们一起散步，看风景，拍了很多照片。回家的时候，我才发现钱包忘在背包里来着，幸好朋友帮我找回来。我说什么来着，下次出门一定要检查好东西，不然总是出乱子！
郊游 (jiāoyóu): outing; excursion
堵车 (dǔchē): traffic jam
出乱子 (chū luànzi): to get into trouble; things go wrong
Last weekend I went on an outing, and my friends had already set the time (if I remember correctly). I thought I would arrive early, but there was traffic, and I ended up being half an hour late. When I got there, everyone had already started eating lunch, and I missed the roast chicken I was looking forward to. We walked together, enjoyed the scenery, and took lots of photos. On the way home, I realized I had left my wallet in my backpack (if I remember correctly), but luckily my friend helped me find it. Didn’t I tell you? Next time I go out, I really need to check my things, or I always end up in trouble!my friend helped me find it. Didn’t I tell you? Next time I go out, I really need to check my things, or I always end up in trouble!
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