Difference between revisions of "Expressing duration with "le""
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| − | Note that the pattern above is to express the duration of completed actions | + | Note that the pattern above is to express the duration of completed actions ''which are no longer in progress''. To indicate that the action is ''still in progress'', use a [[Expressing duration (ongoing)|slightly different pattern]]. |
[[Category:A2 grammar points]] | [[Category:A2 grammar points]] | ||
Revision as of 14:08, 8 October 2011
Saying how long you did something for in Chinese can seem tricky, as there is no preposition as in English. Instead it's all about word order:
Subject + Verb + 了 + Duration + Object
So 了 is placed after the verb (to indicate that the action is completed), followed by the duration. This is how you talk about the duration of completed actions.
Some examples:
- 他 在 北京 住 了 两 年。
- 我 上 了 半 个 小时 网。
- 我 喝 了 三 个 小时 啤酒。
Note that the pattern above is to express the duration of completed actions which are no longer in progress. To indicate that the action is still in progress, use a slightly different pattern.
