Ch 2 · Lesson 24Mandarin · Chapter 2 · Lesson 24 · Grammar primer
了 (le): done, and things have changed
After the verb, says the action is done; at the end of the sentence, it says the situation is new. Not a past tense, not with (méi) + verb, and not straight after a plain state like .
The short version
。Tā mǎi le yì běn shū.
Why?Hide
Stop mapping (le) onto the English past. Sitting straight after the verb it says the action finished; sitting at the very end of the clause it says a new situation now holds. Habits take no (le) at all: (wǒ měitiān chī fàn), never (wǒ měitiān chī le fàn).
The principle
Mandarin separates TIME (when) from ASPECT (what state the action is in). English fuses them: "I ate" carries both past time and completion. In Mandarin the verb never changes; a time word says when, and a marker says what state.
The colours stay the same all page long, one for each marker:
| Marker | Pinyin | Where and what | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| le | after verb: done | mǎi le, bought | |
| le | at the end: new | lái le, is here now | |
| guo | after verb: ever | qù guo, have been | |
| zài | before verb: under way | zài chī, is eating | |
| zhe | after verb: lasting | kāi zhe, stands open |
tā mǎi le yì běn shū, wǒ chī fàn le, wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó, wǒ zài chī fàn, mén kāi zhe
The time word goes before the verb, either just after the subject or at the very front, and the verb itself never changes:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ zuótiān qù Zhōngguó le. | I went to China yesterday. |
。 | Zuótiān wǒ qù Zhōngguó le. | Yesterday I went to China. |
。 | Wǒ míngtiān qù Zhōngguó. | I'm going to China tomorrow. |
了 (le): completion and new situation
The most used and most misused marker. It does two related jobs, told apart by where it sits.
After the verb: the action is done
When (le) sits straight after the verb, the action is complete. It says nothing about when; that is the time word's job.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Tā mǎi le yì běn shū. | He bought a book. |
。 | Wǒ chī le liǎng wǎn fàn. | I ate two bowls of rice. |
。 | Wǒ kàn le nà bù diànyǐng. | I watched that film. |
At the end: the situation is new
When (le) sits at the end of the sentence, after any object, it says something has changed: a situation now holds that did not before.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Tā lái le. | He's here (he wasn't). |
。 | Wǒ chī fàn le. | I've eaten (the meal is done). |
。 | Tài wǎn le. | It's too late now. |
。 | Wǒ yǒu qián le. | I've got money now. |
A state that is new takes a final too: 。 (Wǒ lèi le.) - I'm tired now. Without the it is a plain description.
A sentence can carry both: 。 (Wǒ chī le sān ge píngguǒ le.) - I've eaten three apples so far. Both jobs, and the minimal pairs, are on the two 了 page.
When NOT to use 了 (le)
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | (měitiān) is a habit, not an event |
。 | 。 | (méi) already says it didn't happen |
。 | 。 | (xǐhuan) is a state, not an event |
The middle row has a trap: 。 (Wǒ bù chī le.) is correct, and means "I'm not eating any more". That marks a new situation, not completion. The full rules for are in negation: 不 vs 没.
Going further: 在 (zài) / 正在 (zhèng zài): ongoing action and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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Lesson 24 of 44 in this chapter