〜に行く - going (somewhere) to do ~

Verb (ます-stem) + に行く / に来る / に帰る

Meaning

States the purpose of a trip: going, coming, or returning in order to do something.

Explanation

The verb's ます-stem (drop ます) acts as a noun-like form here, which is why に can attach to it - plain verbs and the て-form aren't nouns, only the stem is. 行く is by far the most common partner, but 来る ("come to do X") and 帰る ("go home to do X") work exactly the same way.

Formation

Verb (ます-stem) + に + 行く / 来る / 帰る

Examples

デパートへ靴を買いに行きます。
デパートへくつをかいにいきます。
I'm going to the department store to buy shoes.
友達と映画を見に行きました。
ともだちとえいがをみにいきました。
I went to see a movie with a friend.

Grammar explanations and example sentences written for NihongoTech.