Difference between revisions of "Uses of le"

Revision as of 15:04, 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 + 了 + [Duration]	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
Making Negative Adjectives Extreme with "-si le"	Adj + 死了	那个孩子难看死了。	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	N1 + 比 + N2 + Adj + 多了	我比你高多了。	了2
Expressing Change of State with "le"	……了	今天我 25 岁了。你的衣服脏了。	了2

Upper Intermediate (B2) Uses of 了

Grammar Point (English)	Pattern	Examples	了 Type
Expressing "A bit too"	Adj + 了一点(儿)	这个东西的质量是差了一点。	了2
Sentence-Final "le 1+2"	……了	我明白你为什么走了。	了1, 2

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 |[[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
+|[[ASGJ36VN|Expressing Duration]] || Verb + 了 + [Duration] || <span class="liju">他 在 北京 住 了<em> 两 年</em>。</span> || 了2
 |-
 |[[ASGSVF28|Expressing Duration of Inaction]] || [Duration] + 没 + [Verb Phrase] ) (+ 了) || <span class="liju">他 已经 <em>三 天 没</em> 洗澡 了。</span> || 了2