Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 2

CEFR A1-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (28 questions)

Mandarin Aspect Markers: 了, 过, 在 and 着 Instead of Tense

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 11 October 2026

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.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the aspect marker that fits: 了 (le) completion or new situation, 过 (guo) 'have ever', 在 (zài) in progress, 着 (zhe) a lasting state.

  1. 我吃饭。 (I've eaten - new situation, at the end)

    wǒ chī fàn ___。 (I've eaten - new situation, at the end)

  2. 我去中国。 (I've been to China at some point)

    wǒ qù ___ zhōng guó 。 (I've been to China at some point)

  3. 他看书。 (he's reading right now)

    tā ___ kàn shū 。 (he's reading right now)

The colours stay the same all page long, one for each marker:

了 le (done or new)过 guo (ever done)在 zài (under way)着 zhe (lasting state)What do the colours mean?
MarkerPinyinWhere and whatExample
leafter verb: donemǎi le, bought
leat the end: newlái le, is here now
guoafter verb: everqù guo, have been
zàibefore verb: under wayzài chī, is eating
zheafter verb: lastingkāi zhe, stands open
Where each marker sits
Subject
Before verb
Verb
After verb
End
empty
empty
empty
empty
empty
empty
empty
empty
empty
empty

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:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。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.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。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.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。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)

WrongRightWhy
。。 (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.

在 (zài) / 正在 (zhèng zài): ongoing action

Put (zài) before the verb and the action is under way. (zhèngzài) adds "right at this moment".

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ zài chī fàn.I'm eating.
。Wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén.I'm learning Chinese.
。Tā zhèngzài gōngzuò.He's working at the moment.
Four panels, each person in the middle of an action: a woman with long hair and a bow reads an open book; a man with a moustache stirs a steaming pot on the stove; a boy runs, arms swinging; a girl with pigtails talks on the phone, with sound waves and a speech bubble.

Each of them is in the middle of it: 在 zài goes before the verb, and the verb itself never changes.

A final (ne) gives the same meaning a chattier feel, with or without : 。 (Wǒ chī fàn ne.) - I'm eating.

This is not the of place, though they are the same character. The place one is followed by a place: 。 (Wǒ zài jiā.) - I'm at home. The aspect one is followed by a verb: 。 (Wǒ zài chī fàn.), I'm eating.

过 (guo): 'have ever' experiential

Put (guo) straight after the verb and the experience is on your record, at some unspecified time.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó.I've been to China.
？Nǐ chī guo Zhōngguó cài ma?Have you ever had Chinese food?
。Tā xué guo Zhōngwén.He has studied Chinese.

The negative is + verb + , and the stays in: 。 (Wǒ méi qù guo Zhōngguó.), I've never been to China.

了 (le) vs 过 (guo): the distinction

(le) reports that something happened on a particular occasion. (guo) says it is part of your experience. If you can slip "ever" into the English, you want (guo).

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ qù le Zhōngguó.I went to China (that trip).
。Wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó.I've been to China (ever).
。Wǒ chī le nàge cài.I ate that dish (that time).
。Wǒ chī guo nàge cài.I've had that dish before.

More on (guo) is on its own page.

着 (zhe): the state that lingers

(zhe) sits after the verb and says the result of an action is holding: the door was opened, and now it stands open.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Mén kāi zhe.The door is open.
。Tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu.He's wearing a red top.

is the process and the state it leaves: 。 (Tā zài chuān yīfu.) - He's getting dressed. has its own page.

What to drill

  1. Stop mapping (le) onto the English past: it means done, or new.
  2. Negatives take (méi) and no : (wǒ méi chī).
  3. (zài) before the verb for "right now"; (guo) after it for "ever".

For where time words and the rest of the sentence go, see word order.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/8

Pick the aspect marker that fits: 了 (le) completion or new situation, 过 (guo) 'have ever', 在 (zài) in progress, 着 (zhe) a lasting state.

  1. 我吃饭。 (I've eaten - new situation, at the end)

    wǒ chī fàn ___。 (I've eaten - new situation, at the end)

  2. 我去中国。 (I've been to China at some point)

    wǒ qù ___ zhōng guó 。 (I've been to China at some point)

  3. 他看书。 (he's reading right now)

    tā ___ kàn shū 。 (he's reading right now)

  4. 门开。 (the door is standing open)

    mén kāi ___。 (the door is standing open)

  5. 你吃中国菜吗? (have you ever eaten Chinese food?)

    nǐ chī ___ zhōng guó cài ma ? (have you ever eaten Chinese food?)

  6. 他买一本书。 (he bought a book - completion)

    tā mǎi ___ yì běn shū 。 (he bought a book - completion)

  7. 我工作。 (I'm working right now)

    wǒ ___ gōng zuò 。 (I'm working right now)

  8. 我没看这部电影。 (I've never seen this film)

    wǒ méi kàn ___ zhè bù diàn yǐng 。 (I've never seen this film)

Sort into groups

0/8

Sort each sentence by what its marker says about the action.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the marker for each gap.

A visitor

我看书，朋友来。他手里拿一本书。他问我：你去北京吗？我说：我没去。

Gap 1 of 5

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. wǒ měi tiān chī le fàn 。

  2. tā zuó tiān méi lái le 。

  3. wǒ bú qù guò zhōng guó 。

Put the words in order

0/4

Put the words in order.

  1. He's reading.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I've been to China.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. He bought a book.

    Your sentence is empty.

  4. I've never been to China.

    Your sentence is empty.

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The principle
  3. The principle
  4. After the verb: the action is done
  5. At the end: the situation is new
  6. When NOT to use 了 (le)
  7. 在 (zài) / 正在 (zhèng zài): ongoing action
  8. 过 (guo): 'have ever' experiential
  9. 了 (le) vs 过 (guo): the distinction
  10. 着 (zhe): the state that lingers

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What are aspect markers in Mandarin?
They are small words that say what state an action is in, since Mandarin verbs never change form. (le) marks completion or a new situation, (guo) marks past experience, (zài) or (zhèngzài) marks an action in progress, and (zhe) marks a lingering state. (chī) stays whatever the time.
How does Mandarin show past or future without tenses?
With time words and aspect markers. (wǒ zuótiān chī le sān ge jiǎozi, I ate three dumplings yesterday) gets its past time from (zuótiān) and its completion from (le). (wǒ míngtiān qù, I'm going tomorrow) is future with no marker at all.
Where do Mandarin aspect markers go?
(le), (guo) and (zhe) go straight after the verb; (zài) and (zhèngzài) go before it. The second, sentence-final goes at the very end of the clause: (wǒ zài kàn shū, I'm reading), (wǒ kàn guo zhè běn shū, I've read this book).
What is the difference between (zài) and (zhe)?
(zài) says an action is under way: (tā zài chuān yīfu, he's getting dressed). (zhe) says the result of an action is holding: (tā chuān zhe yí jiàn hóng yīfu, he's wearing a red top). One is the process, the other the state it leaves.