Come in/out vs go in/out

Question

Hello!Please, could you help me?My teacher told me that we use the verb "to come in/to come out" when we are in the house and see somebody enter/leave the house. And we use the verb "to go in/to go out" when we are outside the house and see somebody enter/leave the house. So, I have two questions:1) when my students ask me if they may leave the classroom what should they say "May I come out?" or "May I go out?"2) which is correct "I go in the garden" or "I come in the garden" when we mean "I enter the garden".Thank you!!!!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Please, could you help me?

My teacher told me that we use the verb "to come in/to come out" when we are in the house and see somebody enter/leave the house. And we use the verb "to go in/to go out" when we are outside the house and see somebody enter/leave the house.

Very broadly speaking, 'come' is 'towards me', and 'go' is 'away from me'.

eg I am in the house. Tom comes in. Tom goes out.

eg I am outside the house. Tom goes in. Tom comes out.

So, I have two questions:

1) when my students ask me if they may leave the classroom what should they say "May I come out?" or "May I go out?"

'Go'. But a student normally gives the reason. eg May I go to the bathroom, please?

2) which is correct "I go in the garden" or "I come in the garden" when we mean "I enter the garden".

Here, it depends not on your physical location but on your perspective, ie the way you are thinking about the situation.

If your previous context focused on inside the garden, say 'come'. If it focused on outside the garden, say 'go'.

eg Tom and May were talking in the garden when I came in.

eg Tom and Marywere talking in the street when I went into the garden.

Clive

Come in/out vs go in/out

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