<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta name="generator" content= "HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" /> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>The particle 了 (le) has a <a href="Uses_of_"le"" title="wikilink">lot of uses</a>. One of the most common is to express the completion of an action. This is called <a href= "Aspect" title="wikilink">aspect</a>, which is not the same as tense. Tense is about <em>when an action happens</em>: past, present or future. Aspect is about <em>whether the action is complete</em> in a certain time frame.</p> <h2 id="basic-pattern">Basic Pattern</h2> <p>To indicate completeness with 了 (le), the structure is:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Subj. + Verb + 了 + Obj.</p> </div> <p>Notice that 了 (le) goes directly after the verb. This 了 (le) is called <strong>verb 了 (le)</strong> or <strong>了1</strong>.</p> <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 今天 早上 吃 <em>了</em> 什么？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ jīntiān zǎoshang chī <em>le</em> shénme?</span> <span class="trans">What did you eat this morning?</span></li> <li>他 买 <em>了</em> 一个 新 手机。 <span class="pinyin">Tā mǎi <em>le</em> yī gè xīn shǒujī.</span><span class="trans">He bought a new cell phone.</span></li> <li>昨天 晚上 我 看见 <em>了</em> UFO。 <span class="pinyin">Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ kànjiàn <em>le</em> UFO.</span><span class="trans">I saw a UFO last night.</span></li> <li>我 学 <em>了</em> 两 年 中文。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xué <em>le</em> liǎng nián Zhōngwén.</span> <span class="trans">I studied Chinese for two years.</span></li> <li>今年 夏天 我 跟 我 男朋友 去 <em>了</em> 台湾。 <span class="pinyin">Jīnnián xiàtiān wǒ gēn wǒ nánpéngyou qù <em>le</em> Táiwān.</span><span class="trans">I went to Taiwan with my boyfriend this summer.</span></li> </ul> </div> <p>The examples above indicate a completed action, but they might also seem very similar to a "past tense" in English. To illustrate that 了 (le) can also indicate that one action is completed before another, see the following examples:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 到 <em>了</em> 告诉 我。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">future action</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ dào <em>le</em> gàosu wǒ.</span><span class="trans">When you have arrived, tell me.</span></li> <li>老板 走 <em>了</em> 以后， 你们 可以 走。 <span class= "expl pdf-simple-expl">future action</span><span class= "pinyin">Lǎobǎn zǒu <em>le</em> yǐhòu, nǐmen kěyǐ zǒu.</span><span class="trans">After the boss has left, you may leave.</span></li> <li>你 找到 <em>了</em> 以后 ， 给 我 打 电话。<span class= "expl pdf-simple-expl">future action</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ zhǎodào <em>le</em> yǐhòu, gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.</span><span class= "trans">After you have found it, give me a call.</span></li> <li>你们 吃 <em>了</em> 饭 以后 ， 可以 出去 。 <span class= "expl pdf-simple-expl">future action</span><span class= "pinyin">Nǐmen chī <em>le</em> fàn yǐhòu, kěyǐ chūqù.</span><span class="trans">After you have eaten your food, you can go out.</span></li> <li>下 <em>了</em> 课 以后 ，我 要 问 老师 一些 问题。<span class= "expl pdf-simple-expl">future action</span><span class="pinyin">Xià <em>le</em> kè yǐhòu, wǒ yào wèn lǎoshī yīxiē wèntí.</span><span class="trans">After class is over, I need to ask the teacher a few questions.</span></li> </ul> </div> <p>As you can see, 了 (le) can appear in sentences about the future as well as the past. What's important is whether or not the action has been <em>completed</em>, no matter what time frame we're talking about. This also means that this 了 (le) isn't used with habitual or continuous actions.</p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li><a href="Expressing_experiences_with_verbs" title= "wikilink">Expressing experiences with verbs</a></li> <li><a href="Uses_of_"le"" title="wikilink">Uses of "le"</a></li> <li><a href="Using_"guo"_with_"le"" title= "wikilink">Using "guo" with "le"</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2> <h3 id="books">Books</h3> <ul> <li><a href="Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar" title= "wikilink">Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar</a> (pp. 65-8) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933330899"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition" title= "wikilink">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition</a> (pp. 57-9) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed)" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)</a> (pp. 137-9, 208) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1</a> (pp. 11-4) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276792"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Mandarin_Chinese:_A_Functional_Reference_Grammar" title="wikilink">Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar</a> (pp. 185-217) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520066103?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0520066103"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC1)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)</a> (pp. 199-200) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC1)(2nd_ed)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)</a> (pp. 226-8) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC2)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)</a> (pp. 16-8) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8A%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）</a> (pp. 156-7)<a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="websites">Websites</h3> <ul> <li>Yale: <a href= "http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/Lele/grammar/Lele.htm">The Perfective –Le了 Versus The Modal Particle Le了</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="Category:A2_grammar_points" title= "wikilink">Category:A2 grammar points</a></p> </body> </html>