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

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*你 是不是 生气 <em>了</em> ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ shì bù shì shēngqì <em>le</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are you mad or not?</span>
 
*你 是不是 生气 <em>了</em> ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ shì bù shì shēngqì <em>le</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are you mad or not?</span>
  
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== Used with Verbs ==
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Subj. + Verb + 了
 
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*下雨 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-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>
 
*下雨 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-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>
 
*宝宝 会 说话 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-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 pdf-simple-expl">He couldn't before.</span><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao huì shuōhuà <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The baby can speak.</span>
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*他 当 经理 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">He wasn't a manager before.</span><span class="pinyin">Tā dāng jīnglǐ <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He became a manager.</span>
 
*你 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> ?<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">He didn't have one before.</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you have a girlfriend?</span>
 
*你 有 女朋友 <em>了</em> ?<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">He didn't have one before.</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyou <em>le</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you have a girlfriend?</span>
 
*我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">A big change for sure.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">My boyfriend found a  new job.</span>
 
*我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">A big change for sure.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">My boyfriend found a  new job.</span>
*手机 没 电 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">It was working fine until now.</span><span class="pinyin">Shǒujī méi diàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The cell phone ran out of power.</span>
 
  
 
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Revision as of 09:54, 20 April 2018

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.

Used with Adjectives

Structure

When used in this way, 了 (le) is placed at the end of the sentence to indicate a new situation.

Subj. + Adj. + 了

Examples

  • 我 饿 Wǒ è le.I'm hungry.
  • 孩子们 都 累 Háizi men dōu lèi le.The kids are all tired.
  • 妈妈 老 We aren't used to thinking of her as old, but she is now.Māma lǎo le.Mom is old.
  • 你 胖 You used to not be fat.Nǐ pàng le.You've gotten fat.
  • 你 是不是 生气 Nǐ shì bù shì shēngqì le?Are you mad or not?

Used with Verbs

Subj. + Verb + 了

Examples

  • 下雨 It wasn't raining, but now it is.Xià yǔ le.It's raining.
  • 宝宝 会 说话 He couldn't before.Bǎobao huì shuōhuà le.The baby can speak.
  • 他 当 经理 He wasn't a manager before.Tā dāng jīnglǐ le.He became a manager.
  • 你 有 女朋友 He didn't have one before.Nǐ yǒu nǚpéngyou le?Do you have a girlfriend?
  • 我 男朋友 找到 新 工作 A big change for sure.Wǒ nánpéngyou zhǎodào xīn gōngzuò le.My boyfriend found a new job.

Too General?

The whole "change of state" concept might seem very general, and it is. It's vague, and it also takes some getting used to. You should expect it to take a while to get used to this use of 了 (le).

Because it's a little vague and confusing, most learners find it useful to break this "change of state" 了 (le) down into more specific usages, such as using it to mean "now", "already", or "not anymore". Although these are all "flavors" of the "change of state" 了 (le), identifying them as specific cases can make it much easier to get used to using 了 (le) in this way.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

{{Source|40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册)|239)→buy

Websites