elementaryA2 · TOCFL a2complementgrammar
想起来
Pattern
想起来 + person / thing / clause
Key words
Core idea
想起来 means to remember, recall, or have something come to mind. The complement 起来 shows the thought has surfaced.
It can take a noun phrase or a whole remembered fact.
Usage boundary
Do not read this as physically getting up. In this phrase, the result is mental: the memory comes up.
Examples
我想起来他的名字了。
Wǒ xiǎng qǐlai tā de míngzi le.
I remembered his name.
她想起来明天有考试。
Tā xiǎng qǐlai míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì.
She remembered that there is an exam tomorrow.
你想起来了吗？
Nǐ xiǎng qǐlai le ma?
Did you remember?
Common mistakes
Avoid
我起来想他的名字了。
Use
我想起来他的名字了。
想起来 is a set verb-complement phrase meaning remember or recall.