Change of state with "le"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
- Also known as: 了2, change-of-state 了, sentence 了 and modal 了.
了 (le) has many uses. You probably first learned 了 (le) as a particle that tells you an action is completed, which is also known as "了1." However, this article is not about that use of 了 (le); instead, it is 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, and this page includes some helpful examples.
Structure
When used in this way, 了(le) is placed at the end of the sentence to show that the whole statement describes a new situation.
[New Situation] + 了
Examples
- 下 雨 了。It's raining.
- 妈妈 老 了。Mom is old.
- 你 胖 了。You've gotten fat.
- 家里 没有 牛奶 了。(We had milk before)We don‘t have any milk at home.
- 爸爸 今年 50 岁 了。 Dad is 50 years old this year.
- 手机 没电 了。The cell phone ran out of power.
- 宝宝 会 说话 了。(He couldn't before)The baby can speak.
- 你哥哥 有 女朋友 了 吗？(He didn't have one before)Does your elder brother have a girlfriend?
- 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 了。My boyfriend found a new job.
- 你老婆 怀孕 了 吗？Is your wife pregnant?
See also
- Expressing "now" with "le"
- Expressing "already" with "le"
- Expressing "not anymore" with "le"
- Uses of "le"
Sources and further reading
Books
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 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
- East Asia Student: 了 grammar: four kinds of 了 in Mandarin
- Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese le grammar summary (了)
