Make sure you have read the legal bit on my home page.
Coming and going are always judged from the current position of the speaker.
yokukimasuka. "Do you come here often?"
For example, the following sentences describe exactly the same event; all that differs is the present position of the speaker.
saburinasanhashyokudounikimashita. "Sabrina came to the dining room."
saburinasanhashyokudouniikimashita. "Sabrina went to the dining room."
However, returning uses a different verb depending on whether the return is to a place more or less home-like than the place returned from. This sounds complicated, but it's actually straightforward and informative. Examples:
saburinasanhauchinikaerimashita. "Sabrina returned home."
saburinasanhashyokudounimodorimashita. "Sabrina returned to the dining room" (having previously gone home to put her clothes back on).
There's a common form for leaving and returning to the current position:
saburinasanhauchinii,tekimashita. "Sabrina went home and came back."
If the purpose is known, this is stated instead:
saburinasanhauchinikitekimashita. "Sabrina went home to get dressed and came back."
The sentence structure used for leaving for a purpose (but perhaps not coming back) is similar:
saburinasanhauchinikiteikimashita. "Sabrina went home to get dressed."
And if the place returned to is home-like, use "return" rather than "come":
saburinasanhashyokudounii,tekaerimashita. "Sabrina went to the dining room and returned (home)."
saburinasanhashyokudounitabetekaerimashita. "Sabrina went to the dining room to eat and returned (home)."
Present/future tense and negatives are straightforward.
The above assumes that no great differences of social status are involved.
Where the being which comes or goes is clearly superior to the speaker (e.g. is a wizard, or is a human if the speaker is a robot), use ira,shyaimasu rather than kimasu or ikimasu. Yes, this is the same ira,shyaimasu which is used for respectful existence. Confusing, isn't it?
Examples:
mahoutsukaisamagashyokudoniira,shyaimasu. "The wizard comes into the dining room."
mahoutsukaisamagashyokudoniira,shyaimasu. "The wizard goes from the dining room."
Yes, the last two examples are identical in Japanese. Depending on one's viewpoint, this either illustrates the subtlety of wizards or the incapacity of Japanese to deal with their actions.
Where the speaker is commenting on his own movements, or those of a close friend, to someone clearly superior (e.g. a ruffian speaking to a wizard, or a robot speaking to a human), use mairimasu instead of kimasu or ikimasu.
Example:
tomodachigamairimasu. "My friends come" (as said by a ruffian to a wizard).
tomodachigamairimasu. "My friends go" (as said by a ruffian to a wizard).
Yes, the last two examples are also identical in Japanese. Presumably, it is expected that one finds talking to wizards so confusing that one does not know whether one is coming or going.