Expressing "now" with "le"
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)"
- 现在 我 明白了。
- 走了，不要 吃了。
- 我 想 你 了！
- 我 去 睡觉 了。
- 快 点 儿，开会 了！
- 该 你 了。
- 我 走 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)
