Expressing completion with "le"

Level

A2 / HSK1
Level

A2
Level

HSK1
Similar to
- Expressing experiences with "guo" (A2)
- Time words and word order (A2)
- Using "guo" with "le" (A2)
- Advanced "le" after an object (B2)
- Advanced "le" with complements (B2)
Similar to
- Time words and word order (HSK1)
- Expressing experiences with "guo" (HSK2)
- Using "guo" with "le" (HSK2)
- Advanced "le" after an object (HSK5)
- Advanced "le" with complements (HSK5)
Used for

Describing actions, Referring to the past, Expressing completion
Keywords

了

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. With regards to 了 (le), aspect is about whether the action is complete in a certain time frame.

Most Basic Pattern

The simplest way to use 了 (le) is to just put it after a verb. When there's nothing else after the verb, there are no complications!

Structure

Subj. + Verb + 了

Examples

他们到了。Tāmen dào le.They have arrived.
我买了。Wǒ mǎi le.I've bought it.
我们都去了。Wǒmen dōu qù le.We all went.
我找到了！Wǒ zhǎodào le!I found it!

Putting 了 After a Verb with an Object

Verb + 了 + Obj. Structure

If the verb has an object, 了 (le) can go directly after the verb, but only when the object has a bit of extra information attached to it. This pattern works if the sentence includes more information about the object, such as how many there are, or some additional adjectives describing the object. (The object can't be "bare," or unmodified.)

Subj. + Verb + 了 + [Information] + Obj.

Verb + 了 + Obj. 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 drank two cups of coffee.
他买了 新手机 。 Tā mǎi le xīn shǒujī.He bought a new cell phone.
他打了 最坏的 人。Tā dǎ le zuì huài de rén.He hit the worst guy.

Verb + Obj. + 了 Structure

So what if you don't want to add in lots of information describing the object? In this case, the 了 (le) can simply go after the object. You might think of it as the 了 (le) indicating completion "wanting to stay close to the verb."

上个月我去台湾了。Shàng gè yuè wǒ qù Táiwān le.I went to Taiwan last month.
昨天晚上我看见 UFO 了。 Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ kànjiàn le UFO.I saw a UFO last night.

Note that 了 can also come after the object. For example:

他买 新手机 了。Tā mǎi xīn xīn shǒujī le .He bought a new cell phone.
上个月我去台湾了。Shàng gè yuè wǒ qù Táiwān le.I went to Taiwan last month.

In these cases, the position of 了 (le) doesn't really matter.

Special Usage

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:

我下课了以后去找你。future actionWǒ xiàkè le yǐhòu qù zhǎo nǐ .I will go find you after I finish class.
你下班了以后给我打电话。future actionNǐ xiàbān le yǐhòu gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.After you get off work, give me a call.
你到了以后告诉我。future actionNǐ dào le yǐhòu gàosu wǒ.After you have arrived, tell me.

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

In some cases, 了 and the position of the object are fixed. If anything is misplaced, the sentence won't make sense.

Objects of Fixed Quantity

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:

In these cases, if you put the 了 (le) at the end of the sentence, you're implying something besides just basic completion of the action.

When 来 (lái) or 去 (qù) Also Appear

If the preposition includes 来 (lái) or 去 (qù), 了 (le) should be placed after the second verb or verb phrase, marking the completion of the main event.

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