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现在 (xiànzài) isn't the only way to express "now." You'll notice that in many common expressions, 了 (le) is used in place of the word for "now."
Structure
This pattern is actually the same as change of state with "le", but the examples below are somewhat idiomatic and can also easily be confused with a direct translation of "now" in Chinese, so they get special treatment here.
[New Situation] + 了
Examples
- 知道 了 。This is something I didn't know before nowZhīdào le.Got it. / I see.
- 懂 了 。Dǒng le.Now I understand.
- 吃饭 了 ！Chīfàn le!Time to eat!
- 我 走 了 。Wǒ zǒu le.I'm leaving now.
- 他 来 了 。This can also mean "He's here now." Be careful! Tā lái le.He's coming over now. / He's on the way.
- 上课 了 ！ Shàngkè le! Class begins now!
- 我 去 睡觉 了 。 Wǒ qù shuìjiào le.I'm going to bed now.
- 快 点儿 ， 开会 了 ！Kuài diǎnr, kāihuì le! Hurry up, it's time for the meeting now!
- 该 你 了 。Gāi nǐ le.It's your turn now.
- 电影 开始 了 ！Diànyǐng kāishǐ le! The movie is starting now!
See Also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 68) →buy
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 126-9) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 238-99) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 217-8) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 64-5) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 8) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 239)→buy
Websites
- Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese le grammar summary (了)