Expressing "already" with just "le"
Expressing "Already"
You can expect to see the word 已经 (meaning "already") in these sentences, which frequently pairs up with 了, but note that sometimes that feeling of "already" can also be expressed with 了 alone.
- 我 已经 告诉 他 了。 "I already told him."
- 我 吃 饭 了 。 "I've (already) eaten."
- 你 已经 知道 了。 "You knew (that) a long time ago."
- 我 已经 做完 了。
- 他 已经 走 了。
- 已经 晚 了。
- 我们 已经 在 飞机 上 了。
- 已经 学 过 了。
- 面包 已经 买 了。
- 已经 给 你 了。
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 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
- Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese le grammar summary (了)
