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.
Contents
Beginner (A1) Uses of 了
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples | 了 Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expressing "Excessively" | 太 + Adj + 了 | 太 好 了 ! | 了2 |
Elementary (A2) Uses of 了
| 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 |
| 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 |
Intermediate (B1) Uses of 了
| 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 |
Upper Intermediate (B2) Uses of 了
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples | 了 Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
http://www.lingref.com/cpp/tls/2004/paper1510.pdf
Sources and further reading
Books
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. ???-???)
- 外国人实用汉语语法(中英文对照) (pp. ???-???)
- 简明汉语语法学习手册 (pp. ???-???)
Websites
- 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 Glorious了(le): Part 1 (free podcast content)
Academic Research
- 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)
