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- <h1>Change of state with "<span class="pinyinst">le</span>" "<span class="hanzist">了</span>"</h1>
- <p><span class="hanzi">了</span> (<span class="pinyin">le</span>) has many uses. You probably first learned <span class="hanzi">了</span> (<span class="pinyin">le</span>) as a particle that tells you an action is completed, which is also known as "<span class="hanzi">了</span>1." However, this article is not about that use of <span class="hanzi">了 </span>(<span class="pinyin">le</span>); instead, it is about indicating a <b>change of state</b> (<span class="hanzi">了</span>2). In other words, there is now a <b>new situation</b>, or there is <b>about to be a new situation</b>. This whole "<b>change of state</b>" idea can take numerous forms, and this page includes some helpful examples.</p>
- <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>
- <p>When used in this way, <span class="hanzi">了</span>(<span class="pinyin">le)</span> is placed at the end of the sentence to indicate a new situation.</p>
- <div class="deux">
- <p>[New Situation] + <span class="hanzist">了</span></p>
- </div>
- <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>
- <div class="exemple">
- <ul>
- <li><span class="hanzi">下 雨 了。 </span><br/><span class="vert">It wasn't raining, but now it is.</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Xià yǔ le.</span><br/> It's raining.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">妈妈 老 了。</span><br/><span class="vert">We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now.</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Māma lǎo le.</span> <br/>Mom is old.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">你 胖 了。 </span><br/><span class="vert">You used to not be fat.</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ pàng le.</span><br/> You've gotten fat.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">家里 没有 牛奶 了。 </span><br/><span class="vert">We had milk before.</span><br/><span class="pinyin"> Jiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi le.</span><br/> We don't have any milk at home.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">爸爸 今年 50 岁 了。</span><br/><span class="vert">Seems like just a year ago he was only 49!</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì le.</span><br/> Dad is 50 years old this year.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">手机 没 电 了。 </span><br/><span class="vert">It was working fine until now.</span><br/><span class="pinyin"> Shǒujī méi diàn le.</span> <br/>The cell phone ran out of power.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">宝宝 会 说话 了。 </span><br/><span class="vert">He couldn't before.</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà le.</span><br/> The baby can speak.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">你哥哥 有 女朋友 了 吗？ </span><br/><span class="vert">He didn't have one before.</span><br/><span class="pinyin"> Nǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou le ma?</span><br/> Does your older brother have a girlfriend?</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 了。 </span><br/><span class="vert">A big change for sure.</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò le.</span><br/> My boyfriend found a new job.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi">你 老婆 怀孕 了 吗？</span><br/><span class="vert">I know you guys have been trying...</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn le ma?</span> <br/>Is your wife pregnant?</li>
- </ul>
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- <h2 id="too-general">Too General?</h2>
- <p>The whole "<b>change of state</b>" 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 <span class="hanzi">了 </span>(<span class="pinyin">le</span>).</p>
- <p>Because it's a little vague and confusing, most learners find it useful to break this "<b>change of state</b>" <span class="hanzi">了</span> (<span class="pinyin">le</span>) down into more specific usages, such as using it to mean "now", "already", or "not anymore". Although these are all "<b>flavors</b>" of the "change of state" <span class="hanzi">了</span> (<span class="pinyin">le</span>), identifying them as specific cases can make it much easier to get used to using <span class="hanzi">了</span> (<span class="pinyin">le</span>) in this way.</p>
- <h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2>
- <ul>
- <li><a href="Expressing_"now"_with_"le"" title="wikilink">Expressing "now" with "le"</a></li>
- <li><a href="Expressing_"already"_with_"le"" title="wikilink">Expressing "already" with "le"</a></li>
- <li><a href="Expressing_"not_anymore"_with_"le"" title="wikilink">Expressing "not anymore" with "le"</a></li>
- <li><a href="Uses_of_"le"" title="wikilink">Uses of "le"</a></li>
- </ul>
- <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
- <h3 id="books">Books</h3>
- <ul>
- <li>Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 68)</li>
- <li>Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 126-9)</li>
- <li>Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 238-99)</li>
- <li>New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本2</span>) (pp. 217-8)</li>
- <li>>New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本3</span>) (pp. 64-5)</li>
- <li>Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 8)</li>
- <li>40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (<span class="hanzi">基础汉语40课上册</span>） (p. 239)</li>
- </ul>
- <h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
- <ul>
- <li>Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese le grammar summary (了)</li>
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