Difference between revisions of "Change of state with "le""
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了 (le) has many uses. You probably first learned 了 (le) as a [[particle]] that tells you [[expressing completion with "le"|an action is completed]], which is also known as "了1." However, this article is not about that use of 了 (le); instead, it is about indicating a ''change of state'' (了2). In other words, there is now a new situation, or there is about to be a new situation. This whole "change of state" idea can take numerous forms, and this page includes some helpful examples. | 了 (le) has many uses. You probably first learned 了 (le) as a [[particle]] that tells you [[expressing completion with "le"|an action is completed]], which is also known as "了1." However, this article is not about that use of 了 (le); instead, it is about indicating a ''change of state'' (了2). In other words, there is now a new situation, or there is about to be a new situation. This whole "change of state" idea can take numerous forms, and this page includes some helpful examples. | ||
| − | == | + | == Used with Adjectives == |
| − | When | + | When an [[adjective]] indicates a change to the subject, 了 (le) is placed at the end of the sentence to indicate a change of state. |
| + | |||
| + | === Structure === | ||
<div class="jiegou"> | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
| − | + | Subj. + Adj. + 了 | |
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | == Examples == | + | === Examples === |
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | |||
| + | *我 饿 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ è <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm hungry.</span> | ||
| + | *孩子们 都 累 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Háizi men dōu lèi <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The kids are all tired.</span> | ||
| + | *妈妈 老 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now.</span><span class="pinyin">Māma lǎo <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Mom has gotten old.</span> | ||
| + | *你 胖 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">You used to not be fat.</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ pàng <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">You've gotten fat.</span> | ||
| + | *你 是不是 生气 <em>了</em> ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ shì bu shì shēngqì <em>le</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are you mad?</span> | ||
| + | |||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Used with Verbs == | ||
| + | |||
| + | When following a verb or verb phrase, the 了 (le) indicates a change in an overall situation. For these sentences, sometimes you can translate this 了 (le) as "now." | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Structure === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
| + | Subj. + Verb + 了 | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Examples === | ||
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
*下雨 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">It wasn't raining, but now it is.</span><span class="pinyin">Xià yǔ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's raining.</span> | *下雨 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">It wasn't raining, but now it is.</span><span class="pinyin">Xià yǔ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's raining.</span> | ||
| − | * | + | *宝宝 会 说话 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">He couldn't before.</span><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The baby can speak now.</span> |
| − | * | + | *他 当 经理 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">He wasn't a manager before.</span><span class="pinyin">Tā dāng jīnglǐ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He became a manager.</span> |
| − | * | + | *你 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> ？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">He didn't have one before.</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em>?</span><span class="trans">You have a girlfriend now?</span> |
| − | * | + | *我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">A big change for sure.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">My boyfriend has found a new job.</span> |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | </div> | |
| − | * | + | |
| − | *我 | + | == Change of Situation in the Negative == |
| − | * | + | |
| + | When you take the same "change of situation" pattern and put a 不 (bù) before the verb, you're indicating that something already decided has changed. What had once been green-lit is now getting a red light. What was once "on" is now "off." The "change of situation" indicated by 了 (le) is still the same, although the change is often simply mental: it's a change of plans, or a change of intent. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Structure === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
| + | Subj. + 不 + Verb + 了 | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Examples === | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | |||
| + | *我 <strong>不</strong> 买 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">I had previously decided to buy it.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>bù</strong> mǎi <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm not buying it now.</span> | ||
| + | *我 <strong>不</strong> 回家 吃 晚饭 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">I had previously decided to go home for dinner.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>bù</strong> huí jiā chī wǎnfàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm not going to go home for dinner tonight.</span> | ||
| + | *我 <strong>不</strong> 去 看电影 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">I had said I was going.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>bù</strong> qù kàn diànyǐng <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I decided not to go to the movies.</span> | ||
| + | *我 <strong>不</strong> 结婚 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">I had previously planned to get married.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>bù</strong> jiéhūn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm not getting married.</span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | This pattern is somewhat similar to [[Expressing "not anymore" with "le"|expressing "not anymore" with "le"]]. | ||
== Too General? == | == Too General? == | ||
| Line 47: | Line 89: | ||
=== Books === | === Books === | ||
| + | {{Source|HSK Standard Course 3|40}} | ||
{{Source|Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar|68}} | {{Source|Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar|68}} | ||
{{Source|Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition|126-9}} | {{Source|Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition|126-9}} | ||
| Line 53: | Line 96: | ||
{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)|64-5}} | {{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|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 | + | {{Source|40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）|239}} |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
[[Category: A2 grammar points]] | [[Category: A2 grammar points]] | ||
| + | {{HSK|HSK3}} | ||
{{Rel char|了}} | {{Rel char|了}} | ||
{{Used for|Expressing result}} | {{Used for|Expressing result}} | ||
Latest revision as of 04:08, 12 March 2019
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
- Also known as: 了2, change-of-state 了, sentence 了 and modal 了.
了 (le) has many uses. You probably first learned 了 (le) as a particle that tells you an action is completed, which is also known as "了1." However, this article is not about that use of 了 (le); instead, it is about indicating a change of state (了2). In other words, there is now a new situation, or there is about to be a new situation. This whole "change of state" idea can take numerous forms, and this page includes some helpful examples.
Contents
Used with Adjectives
When an adjective indicates a change to the subject, 了 (le) is placed at the end of the sentence to indicate a change of state.
Structure
Subj. + Adj. + 了
Examples
- 我 饿 了 。I'm hungry.
- 孩子们 都 累 了 。The kids are all tired.
- 妈妈 老 了 。We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now.Mom has gotten old.
- 你 胖 了 。You used to not be fat.You've gotten fat.
- 你 是不是 生气 了 ？Are you mad?
Used with Verbs
When following a verb or verb phrase, the 了 (le) indicates a change in an overall situation. For these sentences, sometimes you can translate this 了 (le) as "now."
Structure
Subj. + Verb + 了
Examples
- 下雨 了 。It wasn't raining, but now it is.It's raining.
- 宝宝 会 说话 了 。He couldn't before.The baby can speak now.
- 他 当 经理 了 。He wasn't a manager before.He became a manager.
- 你 有 女朋友 了 ？He didn't have one before.You have a girlfriend now?
- 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 了 。A big change for sure.My boyfriend has found a new job.
Change of Situation in the Negative
When you take the same "change of situation" pattern and put a 不 (bù) before the verb, you're indicating that something already decided has changed. What had once been green-lit is now getting a red light. What was once "on" is now "off." The "change of situation" indicated by 了 (le) is still the same, although the change is often simply mental: it's a change of plans, or a change of intent.
Structure
Subj. + 不 + Verb + 了
Examples
- 我 不 买 了 。I had previously decided to buy it.I'm not buying it now.
- 我 不 回家 吃 晚饭 了 。I had previously decided to go home for dinner.I'm not going to go home for dinner tonight.
- 我 不 去 看电影 了 。I had said I was going.I decided not to go to the movies.
- 我 不 结婚 了 。I had previously planned to get married.I'm not getting married.
This pattern is somewhat similar to expressing "not anymore" with "le".
Too General?
The whole "change of state" concept might seem very general, and it is. It's vague, and it also takes some getting used to. You should expect it to take a while to get used to this use of 了 (le).
Because it's a little vague and confusing, most learners find it useful to break this "change of state" 了 (le) down into more specific usages, such as using it to mean "now", "already", or "not anymore". Although these are all "flavors" of the "change of state" 了 (le), identifying them as specific cases can make it much easier to get used to using 了 (le) in this way.
See also
- Expressing "now" with "le"
- Expressing "already" with "le"
- Expressing "not anymore" with "le"
- Uses of "le"
Sources and further reading
Books
- HSK Standard Course 3 (pp. 40) 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]
