Difference between revisions of "Change of state with "le""
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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> | * 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="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Dad is 25 years old this year.</span> | * 爸爸 今年 50 岁 <em>了</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Dad is 25 years old this year.</span> | ||
| − | * 手机 没电 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin"> | + | * 手机 没电 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin"> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The phone is power off.</span> |
* 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> | * 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> | ||
* 你哥哥 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> 吗？ <span class="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 elder brother have a girlfriend?</span> | * 你哥哥 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> 吗？ <span class="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 elder brother have a girlfriend?</span> | ||
Revision as of 07:19, 28 September 2015
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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.
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's raining.
- 我 明白 了。I understand.
- 你 胖 了。You've gotten fat.
- 家里 没有 牛奶 了。(We had milk before)We don't have any milk at home.
- 爸爸 今年 50 岁 了。 Dad is 25 years old this year.
- 手机 没电 了。The phone is power off.
- 宝宝 会 说话 了。 (He couldn't before)The baby can speak.
- 你哥哥 有 女朋友 了 吗？ (He didn't have one before)Does your elder brother have a girlfriend?
- 小女孩 有点 想 妈妈 了 。 (She didn't before now)The kid sort of miss her mom.
- 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 了。My boyfriend find a new job.
See also
- Expressing "now" with "le"
- Expressing "already" with "le"
- Expressing "not anymore" with "le"
- Uses of "le"
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 68) →buy
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 126-9) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 238-99) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 217-8) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 64-5) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 8) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 239)→buy
Websites
- East Asia Student: 了 grammar: four kinds of 了 in Mandarin
- Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese le grammar summary (了)
