Difference between revisions of "Change of state with "le""
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* 下 雨 <em>了</em>。<span class="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>
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* 下 雨 <em>了</em>。<span class="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>
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* 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 is old. </span>
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* 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 is old. </span>
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* 你 胖 <em>了</em>。<span class="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>
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* 你 胖 <em>了</em>。<span class="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>
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* 家里 没有 牛奶 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">We had milk before</span><span class="pinyin">Jiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">We don't have any milk at home. </span>
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* 家里 没有 牛奶 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">We had milk before.</span><span class="pinyin">Jiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">We don't have any milk at home. </span>
 
* 爸爸 今年 50 岁 <em>了</em>。 <span class="expl">Seems like just a year ago he was only 49!</span><span class="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Dad is 50 years old this year. </span>
 
* 爸爸 今年 50 岁 <em>了</em>。 <span class="expl">Seems like just a year ago he was only 49!</span><span class="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Dad is 50 years old this year. </span>
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* 手机 没 电 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">It was working fine until now</span><span class="pinyin">Shǒujī méi diàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The cell phone ran out of power. </span>
+
* 手机 没 电 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">It was working fine until now.</span><span class="pinyin">Shǒujī méi diàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The cell phone ran out of power. </span>
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* 宝宝 会 说话 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">He couldn't before</span><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">The baby can speak. </span>
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* 宝宝 会 说话 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">He couldn't before.</span><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">The baby can speak. </span>
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* 你哥哥 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">He didn't have one before</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Does your older brother have a girlfriend? </span>
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* 你哥哥 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">He didn't have one before.</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Does your older brother have a girlfriend? </span>
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* 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">A big change for sure</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">My boyfriend found a  new job. </span>
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* 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">A big change for sure.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">My boyfriend found a  new job. </span>
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*  你 老婆 怀孕 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl">I haven't heard that she's pregnant, but...</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Is your wife pregnant? </span>
+
*  你 老婆 怀孕 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl">I know you guys have been trying...</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Is your wife pregnant? </span>
  
 
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Revision as of 01:17, 8 May 2017

Chinese-grammar-wiki-le.jpg
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.

Structure

When used in this way, 了(le) is placed at the end of the sentence to show that the whole statement describes a new situation.

[New Situation] + 了

Examples

  • 下 雨 了。It wasn't raining, but now it is.Xià yǔ le.It's raining.
  • 妈妈 老 了。We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now.Māma lǎo le. Mom is old.
  • 你 胖 了。You used to not be fat.Nǐ pàng le. You've gotten fat.
  • 家里 没有 牛奶 了。We had milk before.Jiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi le. We don't have any milk at home.
  • 爸爸 今年 50 岁 了。 Seems like just a year ago he was only 49!Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì le.Dad is 50 years old this year.
  • 手机 没 电 了。It was working fine until now.Shǒujī méi diàn le.The cell phone ran out of power.
  • 宝宝 会 说话 了。He couldn't before.Bǎobao huì shuōhuà le. The baby can speak.
  • 你哥哥 有 女朋友 了 吗？He didn't have one before.Nǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou le ma? Does your older brother have a girlfriend?
  • 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 了。A big change for sure.Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò le. My boyfriend found a new job.
  • 你 老婆 怀孕 了 吗？I know you guys have been trying...Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn le ma? Is your wife pregnant?

Too general?

The whole "change of state" concept might seem very general, and it is. That's why it's useful to break this use of 了 (le) down into more specific usages, such as using it to mean "now", "already", or "not anymore".

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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