Change of state with le (new version)

了 (le) has many uses. You probably first learned 了 (le) as a particle that tells you an action is completed, which is also known as "了1." However, this article is not about that use of 了 (le); instead, it is about indicating a change of state (了2). In other words, there is now a new situation, or there is about to be a new situation. This whole "change of state" idea can take numerous forms, and this page includes some helpful examples.

Used with Adjectives

Structure

Examples

我饿了。
Wǒ è le.
I'm hungry.
孩子们都累了。
Háizi men dōu lèi le.
The kids are all tired.
妈妈老了。
We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now.
Māma lǎo le.
Mom has gotten old.
你胖了。
You used to not be fat.
Nǐ pàng le.
You've gotten fat.
你是不是生气了？
Nǐ shì bu shì shēngqì le?
Are you mad?

Used with Verbs

When following a verb or verb phrase, the 了 (le) indicates a change in an overall situation. For these sentences, sometimes you can translate this 了 (le) as "now."

Structure

Examples

下雨了。
It wasn't raining, but now it is.
Xià yǔ le.
It's raining.
宝宝会说话了。
He couldn't before.
Bǎobao huì shuōhuà le.
The baby can speak now.
他当经理了。
He wasn't a manager before.
Tā dāng jīnglǐ le
He became a manager.
你有女朋友了？
He didn't have one before.
Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyou le?
You have a girlfriend now?
我男朋友找到新工作了。
A big change for sure.
Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò le
My boyfriend has found a new job.

Change of Situation in the Negative

When you take the same "change of situation" pattern and put a 不 (bù) before the verb, you're indicating that something already decided has changed. What had once been green-lit is now getting a red light. What was once "on" is now "off." The "change of situation" indicated by 了 (le) is still the same, although the change is often simply mental: it's a change of plans, or a change of intent.

Structure

Examples

我不买了。
I had previously decided to buy it.
Wǒ bù mǎi le
I'm not buying it now.
我不回家吃晚饭了。
I had previously decided to go home for dinner.
Wǒ bù huí jiā chī wǎnfàn le.
I'm not going to go home for dinner tonight.
我不去看电影了。
I had said I was going.
Wǒ bù qù kàn diànyǐng le.
I decided not to go to the movies.
我不结婚了。
I had previously planned to get married.
Wǒ bù jiéhūn le.
I'm not getting married.

Too General?

The whole "change of state" concept might seem very general, and it is. It's vague, and it also takes some getting used to. You should expect it to take a while to get used to this use of 了 (le).

Because it's a little vague and confusing, most learners find it useful to break this "change of state" 了 (le) down into more specific usages, such as using it to mean "now", "already", or "not anymore". Although these are all "flavors" of the "change of state" 了 (le), identifying them as specific cases can make it much easier to get used to using 了 (le) in this way.

Change of state with "le" 了 (new version)

Used with Adjectives

Structure

Examples

Used with Verbs

Structure

Examples

Change of Situation in the Negative

Structure

Examples

Too General?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books