Difference between revisions of "Expressing "now" with "le""

Latest revision as of 09:23, 20 April 2021

Level

A2 / HSK1
Level

A2
Level

HSK1
Similar to
Similar to
Used for

Referring to changes of situation
Keywords

了

现在 (xiànzài) isn't the only way to express "now." You'll notice that in many common expressions, 了 (le) is used in place of the word for "now."

Structure

This pattern is actually the same as change of state with "le", but the examples below are somewhat idiomatic and can also easily be confused with a direct translation of "now" in Chinese, so they get special treatment here.

[New Situation] + 了

Examples

知道了。This is something I didn't know before nowZhīdào le.Got it. / I see.
懂了。Dǒng le.Now I understand.
我 20 岁了！Wǒ èrshí suì le! I'm 20 years old now!
吃饭了！Chīfàn le!Time to eat!
我走了。Wǒ zǒu le.I'm leaving now.
他来了。This can also mean "He's here now." Be careful! Tā lái le.He's coming over now. / He's on the way.
上课了！ Shàngkè le! Class begins now!
我去睡觉了。 Wǒ qù shuìjiào le.I'm going to bed now.
快点儿，开会了！Kuài diǎnr, kāihuì le! Hurry up, it's time for the meeting now!
到你了。Dào nǐ le.It's your turn now.

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK Standard Course 1 (pp. 32) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 68) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 126-9) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 238-99) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 217-8) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 64-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 8) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 239) [ →buy]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Expressing "Now" ==
+{{Grammar Box}}
-The word "now" doesn't always need to be translated as 现在.  You'll notice that in many common expressions, 了 is used in place of the explicit word for "now."
+现在 (xiànzài) isn't the only way to express "now."  You'll notice that in many common expressions, [[了|了 (le)]] is used in place of the word for "now."
+== Structure ==
+This pattern is actually the same as [[change of state with "le"]], but the examples below are somewhat idiomatic and can also easily be confused with a direct translation of "now" in Chinese, so they get special treatment here.
+<div class="jiegou">
+[New Situation] + 了
+</div>
+== Examples ==
 <div class="liju">
-* 吃饭 <em>了</em>！ <span class="expl">"Time to eat!"</span>
+*知道 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">This is something I didn't know before now</span><span class="pinyin">Zhīdào <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Got it. / I see.</span>
-* 我 来 <em>了</em>。 <span class="expl">"I'm coming over now. / I'm on the way"</span>
+*懂 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Dǒng <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Now I understand.</span>
-* 我 知道 <em>了</em>。 <span class="expl">"I get it now. / I see now. / Now I know. (I didn't before)"</span>
+*我 20 岁 <em>了</em> ！<span class="pinyin">Wǒ èrshí suì <em>le</em>! </span><span class="trans">I'm 20 years old now! </span>
-* 现在 我 明白<em>了</em>。
+*吃饭 <em>了</em> ！<span class="pinyin">Chīfàn <em>le</em>!</span><span class="trans">Time to eat!</span>
-* 走了，不要 吃<em>了</em>。
+*我 走 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zǒu <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm leaving now.</span>
-* 我 想 你 <em>了</em>！
+*他 来 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">This can also mean "He's here now." Be careful! </span><span class="pinyin">Tā lái <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He's coming over now. / He's on the way.</span>
-* 我 去 睡觉 <em>了</em>。
+*上课 <em>了</em> ！ <span class="pinyin">Shàngkè <em>le</em>! </span><span class="trans">Class begins now! </span>
-* 快 点 儿，开会 <em>了</em>！
+*我 去 睡觉 <em>了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù shuìjiào <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm going to bed now.</span>
-* 该 你 <em>了</em>。
+*快 点儿 ，开会 <em>了</em> ！<span class="pinyin">Kuài diǎnr, kāihuì <em>le</em>! </span><span class="trans">Hurry up, it's time for the meeting now! </span>
-* 我 走 <em>了</em>。
+*到 你 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Dào nǐ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's your turn now.</span>
 </div>
+== See also ==
+* [[Change of state with "le"]]
+* [[Uses of "le"]]
+== Sources and further reading ==
+=== Books ===
+{{Source|HSK Standard Course 1|32}}
+{{Source|Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar|68}}
+{{Source|Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition|126-9}}
+{{Source|Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar|238-99}}
+{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)|217-8}}
+{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)|64-5}}
+{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)|8}}
+{{Source|40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）|239}}
+[[Category: A2 grammar points]]
+{{HSK|HSK1}}{{2021-HSK|HSK1}}
+{{Basic Grammar|了|A2|New Situation + 了|吃饭 <em>了</em>！|grammar point|ASGE5Q4J}}
+{{Used for|Referring to changes of situation}}
+{{Similar|Uses of "le"}}
+{{POS|Particles}}