Difference between revisions of "Expressing "now" with "le""

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* 吃 饭 <em>了</em> !<span class="pinyin">Chī fàn <em>le</em>!</span> <span class="trans">Time to eat!</span>
 
* 吃 饭 <em>了</em> !<span class="pinyin">Chī fàn <em>le</em>!</span> <span class="trans">Time to eat!</span>
 
* 我 走 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zǒu <em>le</em>.</span> <span class="trans">I'm leaving now.</span>
 
* 我 走 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zǒu <em>le</em>.</span> <span class="trans">I'm leaving now.</span>
* 他 来 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">This can also mean "He's here now." Be careful! </span><span class="pinyin">Tā lái <em>le</em>. </span> <span class="trans">He's coming over now. /He's on the way. </span>
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* 他 来 <em>了</em> 。<span class="expl">This can also mean "He's here now." Be careful! </span><span class="pinyin">Tā lái <em>le</em>. </span> <span class="trans">He's coming over now. / He's on the way. </span>
 
* 上课 <em>了</em> ! <span class="pinyin">Shàng kè <em>le</em>! </span> <span class="trans">Class begins now! </span>
 
* 上课 <em>了</em> ! <span class="pinyin">Shàng kè <em>le</em>! </span> <span class="trans">Class begins now! </span>
 
* 我 去 睡觉 <em>了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù shuìjiào <em>le</em>. </span> <span class="trans">I'm going to bed now. </span>
 
* 我 去 睡觉 <em>了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù shuìjiào <em>le</em>. </span> <span class="trans">I'm going to bed now. </span>

Revision as of 08:27, 14 March 2016

Chinese-grammar-wiki-le.jpg

现在 (xiànzài) isn't the only way to express "now." You'll notice that in many common expressions, 了 (le) is used in place of the word for "now."

Structure

This pattern is actually the same as change of state with "le", but the examples below are somewhat idiomatic and can also easily be confused with a direct translation of "now" in Chinese, so they get special treatment here.

[New Situation] + 了

Examples

  • 知道 This is something I didn't know before nowZhīdao le. Got it. / I see.
  • Dǒng le. Now I understand.
  • 吃 饭 Chī fàn le! Time to eat!
  • 我 走 Wǒ zǒu le. I'm leaving now.
  • 他 来 This can also mean "He's here now." Be careful! Tā lái le. He's coming over now. / He's on the way.
  • 上课 Shàng kè le! Class begins now!
  • 我 去 睡觉 Wǒ qù shuìjiào le. I'm going to bed now.
  • 快 点儿 , 开会 Kuài diǎnr, kāihuì le! Hurry up, it's time for the meeting now!
  • 该 你 Gāi nǐ le. It's your turn now.
  • 电影 开始 Diànyǐng kāishǐ le! The movie is starting now!

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites