Expressing "now" with "le"

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.

See also

• Change of state with "le"
• Uses of "le"

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]

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