Difference between revisions of "Uses of le"
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| − | The Chinese particle 了 has been traditionally divided into two broad categories: '''aspectual particle 了''' (AKA [[ | + | 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. |
== Beginner (A1) Uses of 了 == | == Beginner (A1) Uses of 了 == | ||
Revision as of 14:50, 7 November 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 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" | 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 |
| Making Adjectives Extreme with "zui" | 最 + Adj (+ 了) | 这 种 啤酒 最 好 了。 | 了2 |
| Intensifying Adjectives Extreme with "ke" | 可 + Adj (+ 了) | 你 做 的 菜 可 好吃 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 |
Sources and further reading
Books
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (pp. 6-8, 14, 29, 71, 85, 108, 145, 150, 153, 158)
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 185-300, 362)
- 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)
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 199-200)
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 16-8, 55-6, 196-7, 217-8)
- 外国人实用汉语语法(中英文对照) (pp. 312-313, 400, 423-35, 497-8, 502)
- 简明汉语语法学习手册 (pp. 62-72, 76-88)
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)
