Uses of "le"

The Chinese particle 了 has been traditionally divided into two broad categories: aspectual particle 了 (AKA 了1) and modal particle 了 (AKA 了2). However, for a word with as many varied grammatical uses, such broad classifications don't seem particularly helpful to learners. This article offers an alternative way to understand 了: by listing out specific uses and patterns without regard for traditional classifications, starting with the ones learners will want to learn right away, and moving into more and more complicated uses.\r\n== Beginner (A1) Uses of 了 ==\r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:50em; text-align:left" |- ! Grammar Point (English) !! Pattern !! Examples!! 了 Type |- |Expressing "excessively" with "tai" || 太 + Adj + 了 || 太好了 ! || 了2 |- |}\r\n== Elementary (A2) Uses of 了 ==\r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:50em; text-align:left" |- ! Grammar Point (English) !! Pattern !! Examples!! 了 Type |- |Expressing completion with "le" || V + 了 || 她去了北京。 || 了1 |- |Questions with "le ma" || V + 了 + 吗？ || 北京去 了吗？ || 了1 |- |Making adjectives extreme with "zui" || 最 + Adj (+ 了) || 这种啤酒 最好了。 || 了2 |- |Expressing duration || Verb + 了 + [Duration] || 他在北京住了 两年。 || 了2 |- |Expressing duration of inaction || [Duration] + 没 + [Verb Phrase] ) (+ 了) || 他已经 三天没 洗澡了。 || 了2 |-\r\n|}\r\n== Intermediate (B1) Uses of 了 ==\r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:50em; text-align:left" |- ! Grammar Point (English) !! Pattern !! Examples!! 了 Type |- |Making negative adjectives extreme with "-si le" || Adj + 死了 || 那个孩子难看 死了。 || 了2 |- |Making positive adjectives extreme with "-ji le" || Adj + 极了 || 你的中文好极了。 || 了2 |- |Expressing "much more" in comparisons || N1 + 比 + N2 + Adj + 多了 || 我比你高 多了。 || 了2 |- |Expressing change of state with "le" || ……了 || 今天我 25 岁了。你的衣服脏了。 || 了2 |- |}\r\n== Upper Intermediate (B2) Uses of 了 ==\r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:50em; text-align:left" |- ! Grammar Point (English) !! Pattern !! Examples!! 了 Type |- |Intensifying adjectives extreme with "ke" || 可 + Adj (+ 了) || 你做的菜 可好吃了。 || 了2 |- |Expressing "A bit too" || Adj + 了一点(儿) || 这个东西的质量是 差了一点 。 || 了2 |- |Sentence-Final "le 1+2" || ……了 || 我明白你为什么走了。 || 了1, 2 |- |}\r\n

Expressing experiences with "guo"
Using "guo" with "le"\r\n== Sources and further reading ==\r\n=== Books ===\r\n* Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 6-8, 14, 29, 71, 85, 108, 145, 150, 153, 158) →buy
Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 185-300, 362) →buy
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 62, 190, 192, 213-4, 218-9, 226-32, 236-9, 243-6, 261-2, 264-5) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 199-200) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 16-8, 55-6, 196-7, 217-8) →buy
A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 312-3, 400, 423-35, 497-8, 502) →buy
Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 62-72, 76-88) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 137-9, 208) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 8, 203-4) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 11-4, 268-9) →buy\r\n=== Websites ===\r\n* Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): Change of State "le" 了
Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): Perfective –Le 了 Vs Particle Le 了
CTCFL (Oxford): The use of the particle 了
CTCFL (Oxford): The exercises on the use of the aspectual particle 了
Chinese Teachers' Net: On Le
ChinesePod: Qing Wen - 了 (le): Something's About to Happen (free podcast content)
ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Double 了 (le) phenomenon (free podcast content)
ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Glorious 了(le): Part 1 (free podcast content)
ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Glorious 了(le): Part 2 (free podcast content)\r\n=== Academic Research ===\r\n* Hooi Ling Soh and Meijia Gao, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: Perfective Aspect and Transition in Mandarin Chinese: An Analysis of Double –le Sentences (PDF file)
Marita Ljungqvist Ari, Lund University: Aspect, tense and mood: Context dependency and the marker le in Mandarin Chinese (PDF file)
Limin Jin and Henriëtte Hendriks, Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics: The development of aspect marking in L1 and L2 Chines (PDF file)\r\n

Uses of "le"

See Also