Difference between revisions of "Uses of le"

Revision as of 13:45, 8 October 2011

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.

Beginner (A1) Uses of 了

Grammar Point (English)	Pattern	Examples	了 Type
Expressing "Excessively"	太 + Adj + 了	太好了 !	了2

Elementary (A2) Uses of 了

Grammar Point (English)	Pattern	Examples	了 Type
Expressing Completion with "le"	V + 了	她去了北京。	了1
Questions with "le ma"	V + 了 + 吗？	北京去了吗？	了1
Expressing Duration	[Verb Phrase] + [Duration] (+ 了)	他在北京住了两年。	了2
Expressing Duration of Inaction	[Duration] + 没 + [Verb Phrase] ) (+ 了)	他已经三天没洗澡了。	了2

Intermediate (B1) Uses of 了

Grammar Point (English)	Pattern	Examples	了 Type
Expressing Completion with "le"	V + 了	她去了北京。	了1

Upper Intermediate (B2) Uses of 了

Grammar Point (English)	Pattern	Examples	了 Type
Expressing Completion with "le"	V + 了	她去了北京。	了1

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 |[[ASGTSWBR|Expressing Completion with "''le''"]] || V + 了 || <span class="liju">她 去 <em>了</em> 北京。</span> || 了1
 |-
-|[[ASGYKDNF|Questions with "''le ma''"]] || ……了 + 吗？ || <span class="liju">北京 去 <em>了 吗</em>？</span> || 了1
+|[[ASGYKDNF|Questions with "''le ma''"]] || V + 了 + 吗？ || <span class="liju">北京 去 <em>了 吗</em>？</span> || 了1
 |-
 |[[ASGJ36VN|Expressing Duration]] || [Verb Phrase] + [Duration] (+ 了) || <span class="liju">他 在 北京 住 了<em> 两 年</em>。</span> || 了2