Uses of "le"
The Chinese particle 了 has been traditionally divided into two broad categories: aspectual particle 了 (AKA 了1) and modal particle 了 (AKA 了2). However, for a word with as many varied grammatical uses, such broad classifications don't seem particularly helpful to learners. This article offers an alternative way to understand 了: by listing out specific uses and patterns without regard for traditional classifications, starting with the ones learners will want to learn right away, and moving into more and more complicated uses.
Contents
Beginner (A1) Uses of 了
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples | 了 Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expressing "excessively" with "tai" | 太 + Adj + 了 | 太 好 了 ! | 了2 |
Elementary (A2) Uses of 了
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples | 了 Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expressing completion with "le" | Verb + 了 | 她 去 了 北京 。 | 了1 |
| Questions with "le ma" | Verb + 了 + 吗 ？ | 你 吃饭 了 吗 ？ | 了1 |
| Using "guo" with "le" | Verb + 过 + 了 | 我们 看 过 了 。 | 了1 |
| Expressing "already" with just "le" | Subj. + Verb + 了 | 我们 都 知道 了 。 | 了2 |
| Result complement "-wan" for finishing | Subj. + Verb + 完 + 了 | 我 说 完 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing change of state with "le" | [New Situation] + 了 | 今天 我 25 岁 了。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "now" with "le" | [New Situation] + 了 | 电影 开始 了 ！ | 了2 |
| Expressing duration | Verb + 了 + Duration | 他 在 北京 住 了 两 年 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing duration (ongoing) | Verb + 了 + Duration + 了 | 他 在 北京 住 了 两 年 了。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "already" with "yijing" | 已经 + Verb + 了 | 他 已经 走 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "about to happen" with "le" | 快 + Verb / Adj. + 了 | 快 下雨 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "not anymore" with "le" | (已经 +) 不 / 没(有) + [Verb Phrase] + 了 | 我 不 想 吃 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "stop doing" with "bie… le" | 别 + Verb + 了 | 别 玩 了 ，去 写 作业 。 | 了2 |
| Superlative "zui" | 最 + Adj. + 了 | 四川 菜 最 辣 了 。 | 了2 |
| Negative adjectives with "-si le" | Adj. + 死了 | 我 今天 累 死了 。 | 了2 |
Intermediate (B1) Uses of 了
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples | 了 Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making negative adjectives extreme with "-si le" | Adj. + 死了 | 这 件 衣服 难看 死了 。 | 了2 |
| Making positive adjectives extreme with "-ji le" | Adj. + 极了 | 你的 中文 好 极了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "much more" in comparisons | Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adj. + 多了 | 我 比 你 高 多 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing duration of inaction | (已经 +) Duration + 没 + Verb + 了 | 他 已经 三 天 没 洗澡 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "about to" with "jiuyao" | Subj. + 就要 + Verb + 了 | 他们 就要 结婚 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "again" in the past with "you" | 又 + Verb + 了 | 你 又 迟到 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "already" with "dou" | 都 + Time + 了 | 都 九点 了 ，快点 起床 ！ | 了2 |
| Expressing earliness with "jiu" | Subj. + Time + 就 + Verb + 了 | 我 昨晚 八 点 半 就 睡觉 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "finally" with "zhongyu" | Subj. + 终于 + Predicate + 了 | 你 终于 到 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "more and more" with "yuelaiyue" | Subj. + 越来越 + Adj. + 了 | 天气 越来越 冷 了 。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "all at once" with "yixiazi" | Subj. + 一下子 + Predicate + 了 | 天气 一下子 变 冷 了 。 | 了2 |
Upper Intermediate (B2) Uses of 了
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples | 了 Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intensifying adjectives extreme with "ke" | 可 + Adj (+ 了) | 你 做 的 菜 可 好吃 了。 | 了2 |
| Expressing "A bit too" | Adj + 了一点(儿) | 这个 东西 的 质量 是 差 了 一点 。 | 了2 |
| Advanced "le" with complements | Subj. + Verb + Complement + 了 | 我们 打 赢 了 比赛 。 | 了1, 2 |
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 6-8, 14, 29, 71, 85, 108, 145, 150, 153, 158) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 185-300, 362) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 62, 190, 192, 213-4, 218-9, 226-32, 236-9, 243-6, 261-2, 264-5) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 199-200) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 16-8, 55-6, 196-7, 217-8) →buy
- A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 312-3, 400, 423-35, 497-8, 502) →buy
- Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 62-72, 76-88) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 137-9, 208) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 8, 203-4) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 11-4, 268-9) →buy
Websites
- Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): Change of State "le" 了
- Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): Perfective –Le 了 Vs Particle Le 了
- CTCFL (Oxford): The use of the particle 了
- CTCFL (Oxford): The exercises on the use of the aspectual particle 了
- Chinese Teachers' Net: On Le
- ChinesePod: Qing Wen - 了 (le): Something's About to Happen (free podcast content)
- ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Double 了 (le) phenomenon (free podcast content)
- ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Glorious 了(le): Part 1 (free podcast content)
- ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Glorious 了(le): Part 2 (free podcast content)
Academic Research
- Hooi Ling Soh and Meijia Gao, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: Perfective Aspect and Transition in Mandarin Chinese: An Analysis of Double –le Sentences (PDF file)
- Marita Ljungqvist Ari, Lund University: Aspect, tense and mood: Context dependency and the marker le in Mandarin Chinese (PDF file)
- Limin Jin and Henriëtte Hendriks, Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics: The development of aspect marking in L1 and L2 Chines (PDF file)
