Expressing completion with "le"

Also known as: 了1, verb 了, completed action 了 and perfective aspect 了.

The particle 了 (le) has a lot of uses. One of the most common is to express the completion of an action. This is called aspect, which is not the same as tense. Tense is about when an action happens: past, present or future. Aspect is about whether the action is complete in a certain time frame.

Structure

To indicate completion, 了 can go before or after the object. Both of these basic structures are possible (and correct):

Subj. + Verb + Obj. + 了

Subj. + Verb + 了 + Obj.

Examples

  • 他 买 新 手机 了 。 Tā mǎi xīn shǒujī le.He bought a new cell phone.
  • 我 找到 工作 了 。Wǒ zhǎodào gōngzuò le.I found a job.
  • 你 今天 早上 吃 了 什么 ？Nǐ jīntiān zǎoshang chī le shénme? What did you eat this morning?
  • 上个月 我 去 了 台湾 。Shàng gè yuè wǒ qù le Táiwān.I went to Taiwan last month.
  • 昨天 晚上 我 看见 UFO 了 。 Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ kànjiàn UFO le.I saw a UFO last night.

The examples above indicate a completed action, but they might also seem very similar to a "past tense" in English. To illustrate that 了 (le) can also indicate that one action is completed before another, see the following examples:

  • 你 到 了 告诉 我 。future actionNǐ dào le gàosu wǒ.When you have arrived, tell me.
  • 你 下班 了 给 我 打 电话 。future actionNǐ ​xiàbān le gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.After you get off work, give me a call.

As you can see, 了 (le) can appear in sentences about the future as well as the past. What's important is whether or not the action has been completed, no matter what time frame we're talking about. This also means that this 了 (le) isn't used with habitual or continuous actions.

Where to put 了

“了”和宾语的位置关系比较复杂，“了”在句中的位置会影响句子的意思和完整性。下面两种句型涉及到“了”在句中的位置，是初级阶段需要留意和掌握的:

1. 了 must go directly after the verb if the object is preceded by a number and measure word.

Verb + 了 + Number + Measure Word + Obj.

A few examples:

  • 老师 问 了 五 个 问题 。Lǎoshī wèn le wǔ gè wèntí.The teacher asked five questions.
  • 我 买 了 三 本 书 。Wǒ mǎi le sān běn shū.I bought three books.
  • 我 喝 了 两杯 咖啡 。Wǒ hē le liǎng bēi kāfēi.I washed five pieces of clothes.

2. 句子的谓语是包含”来、去“的连动结构，“了”应该放在第二个动词后面。

Subj. + 来 / 去 + Place + Verb / [Verb Phrase] + 了

A few examples:

  • 昨天 她 来 我家 吃饭 了 。Zuótiān tā lái wǒ jiā chīfàn le.She came to my place to eat dinner yesterday.
  • 我们 上周 去 北京 开会 了 。Wǒmen shàngzhōu qù Běijīng kāihuì le.We went to Beijing and had a meeting there last week.
  • 我 和 朋友 去 商场 买衣服 了 。Wǒ hé péngyou qù shāngchǎng mǎi yīfu le.I went to the mall with my friend and we bought some clothes.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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