Difference between revisions of "Change of state with "le""

m (Text replacement - "elder" to "older")
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* 下 雨 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Xià yǔ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's raining.</span>
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* 下 雨 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">It wasn't raining, but now it is</span><span class="pinyin">Xià yǔ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's raining.</span>
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* 妈妈 老 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Māma lǎo <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">Mom is old. </span>
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* 妈妈 老 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now</span><span class="pinyin">Māma lǎo <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">Mom is old. </span>
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* 你 胖 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ pàng <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">You've gotten fat. </span>
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* 你 胖 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">You used to not be fat</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ pàng <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">You've gotten fat. </span>
 
* 家里 没有 牛奶 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">We had milk before</span><span class="pinyin">Jiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">We don‘t have any milk at home. </span>
 
* 家里 没有 牛奶 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">We had milk before</span><span class="pinyin">Jiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">We don‘t have any milk at home. </span>
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* 爸爸 今年 50 岁 <em>了</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Dad is 50 years old this year. </span>
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* 爸爸 今年 50 岁 <em>了</em>。 <span class="expl">Seems like just a year ago he was only 49!</span><span class="pinyin">Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Dad is 50 years old this year. </span>
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* 手机 没电 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Shǒujī méidiàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The cell phone ran out of power. </span>
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* 手机 没电 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">It was working fine until now</span><span class="pinyin">Shǒujī méidiàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The cell phone ran out of power. </span>
 
* 宝宝 会 说话 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">He couldn't before</span><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">The baby can speak. </span>
 
* 宝宝 会 说话 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">He couldn't before</span><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">The baby can speak. </span>
 
* 你哥哥 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl">He didn't have one before</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Does your older brother have a girlfriend? </span>
 
* 你哥哥 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl">He didn't have one before</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Does your older brother have a girlfriend? </span>
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* 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎo dào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">My boyfriend found a  new job. </span>
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* 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em>。<span class="expl">The lazy bum is finally doing something with himself</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎo dào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>. </span><span class="trans">My boyfriend found a  new job. </span>
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*  你老婆 怀孕 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Is your wife pregnant? </span>
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*  你 老婆 怀孕 <em>了</em> 吗？<span class="expl">I haven't heard that she's pregnant, but...</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn <em>le</em> ma? </span><span class="trans">Is your wife pregnant? </span>
  
 
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Revision as of 08:07, 14 March 2016

Chinese-grammar-wiki-le.jpg
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 wasn't raining, but now it isXià yǔ le.It's raining.
  • 妈妈 老 了。We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is nowMāma lǎo le. Mom is old.
  • 你 胖 了。You used to not be fatNǐ pàng le. You've gotten fat.
  • 家里 没有 牛奶 了。We had milk beforeJiālǐ méiyǒu niúnǎi le. We don‘t have any milk at home.
  • 爸爸 今年 50 岁 了。 Seems like just a year ago he was only 49!Bàba jīnnián wǔshí suì le.Dad is 50 years old this year.
  • 手机 没电 了。It was working fine until nowShǒujī méidiàn le.The cell phone ran out of power.
  • 宝宝 会 说话 了。He couldn't beforeBǎobao huì shuōhuà le. The baby can speak.
  • 你哥哥 有 女朋友 了 吗？He didn't have one beforeNǐ gēge yǒu nǚpéngyou le ma? Does your older brother have a girlfriend?
  • 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 了。The lazy bum is finally doing something with himselfWǒ nánpéngyou zhǎo dào xīn gōngzuò le. My boyfriend found a new job.
  • 你 老婆 怀孕 了 吗？I haven't heard that she's pregnant, but...Nǐ lǎopo huáiyùn le ma? Is your wife pregnant?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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