The Chinese particle “了(le)” is one of the most frequently used function words in Chinese. It has no specific meaning, but it is widely used to express grammatical features in both spoken and written Chinese. Many foreign students are confused about how to use “了(le)” and when to use it. Considering the complex usage of “了(le)”, here we summarize 4 common uses of “了(le)” in Mandarin Chinese.
1. Expressing the completion of an action with 了 (le)
The structure “Verb + 了(le)” indicates that an action is completed or realized. The action can be not only in the past, but also in the present and the future.
For example:
我买了一本书。
I bought a book.
我吃了很多东西。
I ate a lot of food.
昨天我去了图书馆。
I went to the library yesterday.
他来了我会告诉你。
I’ll tell you when he comes.
他在我家住了三天。
He stayed in my house for three days.
Notes:
(1) “了(le)” can not be used with the multiple, repetitive or habitual actions.
For example:
以前我经常去图书馆。
I used to go to the library.
*以前我经常去了图书馆。
去年我一直在中国学汉语。
I have been learning Chinese in China last year.
*去年我一直在中国学了汉语。 ×
我每天坐地铁去学校。
I go to school by subway every day.
*我每天坐地铁去了学校。 ×
(2) When “了(le)” indicates that an action is completed or realized, the negative form of the sentence is “没(méi)+ verb”. “了(le)” should be omitted.
For example:
昨天我没去图书馆。
I didn’t go to the library yesterday.
*昨天我没去了图书馆。×
他没买衣服。
He didn’t buy any clothes.
*他没买了衣服。×
我没看见王老师。
I didn’t see teacher Wang.
*我没看见了王老师。×
他没来学校。
He didn’t come to school.
*他没来了学校。×
我没吃饭。
I didn’t eat.
*我没吃了饭。×
(3) When “了 (le)” is used in the future tense, there are usually two actions. “了(le)” is usually placed after the first action, indicating to do the second action when the first action is completed.
For example:
我到了美国就给你打电话。
I’ll call you when I get to America.
我下了课去找你。
I’ll see you after class.
他们准备毕业了就结婚。
They are going to get married as soon as they graduate.
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2. Indicating a change of state with 了 (le)
“了(le)” is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that a situation changes or a new situation occurs.
For example:
我今年二十岁了。
I’m 20 years old this year.
(I wasn’t 20 years old before, but now I’m 20 years old.)
我不喜欢吃苹果了。
I don’t like to eat apples anymore.
(I liked to eat apples before, but now I don’t like anymore.)
我想回家了。
I want to go home.
(I didn’t want to go home before, but now I changed my mind.)
她会说汉语了。
She can speak Chinese now.
(She couldn’t speak Chinese before, but now she can.)
外面下雨了。
It’s raining outside.
(It wasn’t raining before, but that is the situation now.)
3. Expressing duration with 了 (le)
“了(le)” is used at the end of a sentence and after the verb to indicate that an action is completed and to describe the completion of the action till now.
For example:
他来了中国三年了。
He has been in China three years.
我学汉语学了四个月了。
I have been learning Chinese four months.
他去了医院了。
He has gone to the hospital.
我唱了一首歌了。
I have sung a song.
4. 了(le) used in common sentence patterns
“了(le)” can also go with other words in sentence structures. For more uses of 了(le), you can download and read the PDF transcript of this lesson.
(1) 就要(jiùyào)……了(le): be about to
他们就要结婚了。
They are about to get married.
我就要出国了。
I’m about to go abroad.
(2) 已经(yǐjīng)……了(le): already
我已经有男朋友了。
I already have a boyfriend.
已经很晚了，我们走吧。
It’s already really late. Let’s go.
我学习中文已经一年了。
I have already been studying Chinese for a year.
(3) 太(tài)……了(le): too, excessively, so, very
老板太忙了。
The boss is too busy.
这个女孩太漂亮了。
This girl is so pretty.
(4) 别(bié)……了(le): stop doing somthing
别做了，明天做吧。
Stop doing it. Do it tomorrow.
下雨了，别出去了。
It’s raining. Don’t go out.
5. Get the PDF transcript, mp3 and take the quiz
Well, these are four common uses of Chinese particle “了(le)”. They are not difficult to understand. But to fully master how to use “了(le)” in Chinese, you need to understand them in practice. You can download the MP3 and PDF below for on-the-go learning. Don’t forget to take the quiz on this lesson to solidify your knowledge you’ve learnt today! For more questions, please let us know in the comment section.
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