Change of state with "le"
- Also known as: 了2, change-of-state 了, sentence 了 and modal 了.
了 (le) has a lot of uses. You probably first learned 了 as a particle that tells you an action is completed, which is also known as 了1. This article is not about that use of 了; it's 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, so it's helpful to view them individually, alongside some English translations.
Contents
General Change of State
When used in this way, 了 is placed at the end of the sentence to mark that the whole statement describes a new situation.
Some examples:
- 他 会 开车 了。 "He can now drive." (he couldn't before)
- 我 有 女朋友 了。 "I have a girlfriend now." (I didn't have one before)
- 情况 跟 以前 不 一样 了 。 "The situation isn't the same as before." (obviously, it's a change of situation!)
Expressing "Now"
The word "now" doesn't always need to be translated as 现在. You'll notice that in many common expressions, 了 is used in place of the explicit word for "now."
- 吃饭 了！ "Time to eat!"
- 我 来 了。 "I'm coming over now. / I'm on the way"
- 我 知道 了。 "I get it now. / I see now. / Now I know. (I didn't before)"
Other Types of Change of State
Exactly what situations "change of state" covers is a bit open to interpretation. See some other similar uses under the article on the modal particle 了 (le).
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 68) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 238 - 299) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 217 - 218) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 64 - 65) →buy
Websites
- East Asia Student: 了 grammar: four kinds of 了 in Mandarin
