eric
/
Chinese-comet.cls.yale.edu-grammar


			
				
					
						
						
							1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041
							<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops">
<head>
  <title>Perfective aspect particle le 了 (or verb-suffix le 了)</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="../Styles/main.css"/>
</head>

<body>
  <h2>Perfective aspect particle <span class="pinyinst">le</span> <span class="hanzist">了</span> (or verb-suffix <span class="pinyinst">le</span> <span class="hanzist">了</span>)</h2>

  <p>The perfective aspect particle <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span> marks the perfective state of an action. It indicates that the action is completed. The aspect particle <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span> is placed immediately after the verb. It is also called the verb-suffix-<span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span> or verb-<span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span>. By 'perfective state' we mean that “the action as represented by the verb has attained its completion by a certain reference point in time. The Chinese verb-le serves to mark this perfective aspect. It is an aspect marker and not a past tense indicator. The verb-le can appear with a future action, a present action, or a past action, as long as the context calls for its use.” (H. S. Cheung: 1994, p. 207).</p>

  <ol>
    <li><audio src="../Audio/lele-II-1.mp3" controls="controls"></audio>

<br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ mǎi-<span class="rouge">le</span> sān běn shū.</span><br/><span class="hanzi">我买了三本书。</span><br/> I bought three books.</li>

    <br/>

    <div class="gris">
      Note: The aspect particle <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span> after the verb '<span class="pinyin">mǎi</span>'&#160;<span class="hanzi">买</span>&#160;(to buy) signifies that the action of buying is completed.
    </div>

    <br/>

    <li><audio src="../Audio/lele-II-2.mp3" controls="controls"></audio>

<br/><span class="pinyin">Míngtiān wǒ chī-<span class="rouge">le</span> wǎnfàn jiù qù xuéxiào.</span><br/><span class="hanzi">明天我吃了晚饭就去学校。</span><br/> Tomorrow I will go to school after I eat dinner.</li>

    <br/>

    <div class="gris">
      Note: This sentence is about a sequence of actions that will take place in the future. The aspect particle <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span> here signifies the future perfective aspect of the action <span class="pinyin">chī</span> <span class="hanzi">吃</span>(to eat). <span class="pinyin">Chī-le wǎnfàn</span> <span class="hanzi">吃了晚饭</span> here means 'after eating dinner'. It is the first action in the sequence. It is followed by the second one, <span class="pinyin">qù xuéxiào</span> <span class="hanzi">去学校</span>, which means 'to go to school'.
    </div>
  </ol>

  <p>However, there are strict restrictions on the use of the perfective aspect particle <span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span>. First, the verb must be an action verb capable of definite termination. Dispositional verbs may not take a verb-<span class="pinyin">le</span> <span class="hanzi">了</span>. Second, it is used for bounded events. “An event is viewed in its entirety if it is bounded temporally, spatially, or conceptually.” (Charles N. Li and Sandra A. Thompson: 1981, p. 185). According to Li and Thompson, there are essentially four ways in which an event can be bounded.</p>
</body>
</html>