This section gives a brief introduction to the use of the end-of-sentence particle 了 le . This modal particle 了 le may be used in the following situations.
1. The modal particle 了 le can be used to indicate change, such as in the weather, in seasons or in time.
两 点 半 了 。 冬 天 了 。
It’s 2:30 now. It’s winter now.
The modal particle 了 le can also indicate a change of situation, or that a situation no longer exists.
丁 老师 去年 教 我 们 汉字 现 在 教 我 们 语法 了 。
dīng lăoshī qùnián jiāo wŏmen hànzì, xiànzài jiāo wŏmen yŭfă le
Mr Ding taught us Chinese characters last year. He teaches us grammar now.
我 不是 老师 了 。
I am no longer a teacher.
The modal particle 了 le in the above examples implies “now”. The following end-of-sentence 了also has the function of bringing the action of “learning” into the present.
我 学 汉 语 学 了 三 个 月 了 。
wǒ xué hànyŭ xuéle sān ge yuè le
I have been studying Chinese for three months.
Here, the modal particle 了 le at the end of the sentence indicates that the action of learning is still going on. Without the end-of-sentence 了 le it means that the action of learning has been completed.
2. The modal particle 了 le is used as a sentence component to indicate that an action is about to take place. The other components used in this type of sentence pattern are 要 yào , 就 jiù and 快 kuài . Possible formulas for this speech pattern are as follows.
· 要... 了
· 快... 了, 快要... 了, 快就... 了.
· 就要... 了, 就快... 了.
The imminent action is placed between 要 yào , 就 jiù, 快 kuài and 了 le. Other possible elements that can be placed in this speech pattern are time words (such as winter, summer, June and 10 o’clock), verb-object phrases, and verbs. For instance,
快 十 二 月 了 。 (month) 快 要 冬 天 了 。 (season)
kuài shí èr yuè le kuàiyào dōngtiān le
It’s nearly December. It’s almost winter.
小 丁 要 来 了 。 (verb) 就 要 开 车 了 。 (verb-object)
xiăo dīng yào lái le jiù yào kāi chē le
Xiao Ding is about to arrive. The bus is about to leave.
Translate the following sentences into Chinese (Modal 了)
Xiao Ding was here a minute ago. He isn’t here now.
I don’t want to stay in this dormitory any more.
Gubo has told me that his girlfriend doesn’t love him any more.
Stop drinking now! We are about to start the lesson.
It’s nearly 5 o’clock. We are about to finish the lesson.
These books are really expensive now!
Stop writing now. I’m about to go to bed.
Yesterday I wrote 50 Chinese characters. I am not going to write any more today.
Frequently asked questions
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What else can 了 be used for, apart from for indicating a completed action?
Can 了 be used to emphasize stative verbs or complements of degree?
When do I use 了 for a change of situation, and where does it go in a sentence?
How many sentence patterns can be used to indicate imminent action?
[1] The term of " stative verbs " is used in Colloquial Chinese by T’ung and Pollard. It is described as " predicative-only adjectives" on page 68, in Chinese A Comprehensive Grammar by Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington and it is described as " adjectival verbs" on page 56, in Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar by Claudia Ross and Jing-heng Sheng Ma
[2] Co-verb phrases are called prepositional phrases in Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar; prepositions in Practical Chinese Reader
[3] Measure words are called classifiers in Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar