Mandarin · Chapter 18 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
The double 了 sentence
我学了三年中文了 (I have been studying Chinese for three years now). The verb-了 closes off a measured chunk of action; the sentence-final 了 says it is still going at the moment of speaking. Drop the final 了 and the three years are over; drop the verb-了 and the duration loses its anchor.
The short version
Drop the final 了 (le) and the three years are over
我学了三年中文 (wǒ xué le sān nián zhōng wén) says you studied Chinese for three years and stopped. 我学了三年中文了 (wǒ xué le sān nián zhōng wén le) says three years and counting. The verb-了 (le) packages the measured chunk; the sentence-final 了 (le) plants it in the present. If the action is still running, both are compulsory.
我学了三年中文了 wǒ xué le sān nián zhōng wén le
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