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

 
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{{Grammar Box}}  
 
{{Grammar Box}}  
  
After reading this primer on one of the many uses of [[Uses_of_%22le%22|了 (le)]], you will have gotten a good grasp on how to express the duration of something.
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Whether you need to express how long you lived somewhere, how long you studied astrophysics, or how long you worked as a mime, you'll need to use 了 (le) to express that time duration.
  
== Basic expression ==
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== Basic Usage ==
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
 +
Subj. + Verb + 了 + Duration + Obj.
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</div>
 +
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So 了 (le) is placed after the verb (to indicate that [[Expressing completion with "le"|the action is completed]]), followed by the duration. This is how you talk about the duration of completed actions.
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=== Examples ===
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 +
<div class="liju">
  
Subject + Verb + + Duration + Object
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*他 学 <em>一 年</em> 中文 。<span class="pinyin">Tā xué le <em>yī nián</em> Zhōngwén.</span><span class="trans">He studied Chinese for a year.</span>
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*我 看 了 <em> 一 个 晚上</em> 书 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ  kàn le <em> yī gè wǎnshang</em> shū.</span><span class="trans">I read books all evening.</span>
 +
*他 做 了 <em>八 年</em> 经理 。<span class="pinyin">Tā zuò le <em>bā nián</em> jīnglǐ.</span><span class="trans">He worked as a manager for eight years.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
So 了 (le) is placed after the verb (to indicate that the action is completed), followed by the duration. This is how you talk about the duration of completed actions.
+
Also note that 的 can be used in this pattern, which must be placed between the duration and the object.
 +
 
 +
<div class="jiegou">
 +
Subj. + Verb + 了 + Duration + 的 + Obj.
 +
</div>
  
=== Examples ===
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Some examples:
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 他 在 北京 住 <em>两 年</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Tā zài Běijīng zhù <em>le liǎng nián</em>.</span> <span class="trans">He lived in Beijing for two years.</span>
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*我们 坐 了 <em>十五 个 小时</em> <strong></strong> 飞机 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen zuò le <em> shíwǔ gè xiǎoshí</em> <strong>de</strong> fēijī.</span><span class="trans">We took a fifteen hour flight.</span>
* 我 上 <em>了 半 个 小时</em> 网 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ shàng <em>le bàn gè xiǎoshí</em> wǎng.</span> <span class="trans">I went online for half an hour.</span>
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*奶奶 看 了 <em>一 天</em> <strong></strong> 电视 。<span class="pinyin">Nǎinai kàn le <em>yī tiān</em> <strong>de</strong> diànshì.</span><span class="trans">Grandma watched TV all day.</span>
* 我 做 <em>了 三 个 小时</em> 作业 。 <span class="pinyin">zuò <em>le sān gè xiǎoshí</em> zuòyè.</span> <span class="trans">I did homework for three hours.</span>
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*妈妈 洗 了 <em>一 上午</em> <strong></strong> 衣服 。<span class="pinyin">Māma xǐ le <em>yī shàngwǔ</em> <strong>de</strong> yīfu.</span><span class="trans">Mom washed clothes all morning.</span>
* 我 在 google 做 了 <em>八 年</em> 经理 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài google zuò le <em>bā nián</em> jīnglǐ.</span> <span class="trans">I worked as a manager at Google for eight years.</span>
 
* 看 了 <em>两 个 小时</em> 电影 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ kān le <em>liǎng gè xiǎoshí</em> diànyǐng.</span> <span class="trans">I watched movies for two hours.</span>
 
* 我 开 了 <em>一 天</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ kāi le <em>yī tiān</em> huì.</span> <span class="trans">I attended a full day of meetings.</span>
 
* 我 坐 了 <em>一 个 小时</em> 地铁 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ zuò le <em>yī gè xiǎoshí</em> dìtiě.</span> <span class="trans">I rode the metro for one hour.</span>
 
* 我 打 了 <em>半 个 小时</em> 电话 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ dǎ le <em>bàn gè xiǎoshí</em> diànhuà.</span> <span class="trans">I talked on the phone for half an hour.</span>
 
* 我 在 大学 学 了 <em>一 年</em> 中文 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ zài dàxué xué le <em>yī nián</em> Zhōngwén.</span> <span class="trans">In the university I studied Chinese for one year.</span>
 
* 我 和 朋友 喝 了 <em>两 个 小时</em> 酒 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ hé péngyǒu hē le <em>liǎng gè xiǎoshí</em> jiǔ.</span> <span class="trans">My friend and I drank alcohol for two hours.</span>
 
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== To express completed definitely ==
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== To Express "Definitely Concluded" ==
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
  
Note that the pattern above can be used to express the duration of completed actions ''which are no longer in progress'', although strictly speaking, it's not entirely clear if the actions are still ongoing or not.  To indicate that the actions are definitely completed, a [[Time words and word order|time word]] may be inserted into the sentence to indicate that you're talking about an event in the past:
+
Note that the previous pattern can be used to express the duration of completed actions ''which are no longer in progress'', although strictly speaking, it's not entirely clear if the actions are still ongoing or not.  To indicate that the actions are definitely concluded (not ongoing), a [[Time words and word order|time word]] may be inserted into the sentence to indicate that you're talking about an event in the past:
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
+
Subj. + [Time Word] + Verb + 了 + Duration + Obj.
Subject + Time Word + Verb + 了 + Duration + Object
 
 
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
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<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 他 <strong>以前</strong> 在 北京 住 <em>两 年</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Tā <strong>yǐqián</strong> zài Běijīng zhù <em>le liǎng nián</em>.</span> <span class="trans">Before, I lived in Beijing for two years.</span>
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*孩子们 周六 写 了 <em>一天</em> <strong></strong> 作业 。<span class="pinyin">Háizi men zhōuliù xiě le <em>yī tiān</em> <strong>de</strong> zuòyè.</span><span class="trans">The kids did their homework all day Saturday.</span>
* 我 <strong>昨天</strong> 上 <em>了 半 个 小时</em> 网 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>zuótiān</strong> shàng <em>le bàn gè xiǎoshí</em> wǎng.</span> <span class="trans">Yesterday I went online for half an hour.</span>
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*我 刚才 打 了 <em>半 个 小时</em> 电话 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ gāngcái dǎ le <em>bàn gè xiǎoshí</em> diànhuà.</span><span class="trans">I was on the phone for half an hour.</span>
* 我 <strong>上个 星期</strong> 做 <em>了 三 个 小时</em> 作业 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>shàngge xīngqī</strong> zuò <em>le sān gè xiǎoshí</em> zuòyè.</span> <span class="trans">Last week I did three hours of homework.</span>
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*我 昨天 了 <em>一 晚上</em> 游戏 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zuótiān wán le <em>yī wǎnshang</em> yóuxì.</span><span class="trans">Yesterday, I played games all evening.</span>
* 我 <strong>以前</strong> 在 Google 做 了 <em>八 年</em> 经理 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>yǐqián</strong> zài Google zuò le <em>bā nián</em> jīnglǐ.</span> <span class="trans">Before, I worked as a manager at Google for eight years.</span>
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*他 昨天 开 了 <em>一 天</em> <strong></strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā zuótiān kāi le <em>yī tiān</em> chē.</span><span class="trans">He drove all day yesterday.</span>
* 我 <strong>昨天 晚上</strong> 看 了 <em>两 个 小时</em> 电影 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>zuótiān wǎnshang</strong> kān le <em>liǎng gè xiǎoshí</em> diànyǐng.</span> <span class="trans">Yesterday night, I watched movies for two hours.</span>
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*老板 今天 开 了 <em>一 下午</em> <strong></strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn kāi le <em>yī xiàwǔ</em> <strong>de</strong> huì.</span><span class="trans">The boss had meetings all afternoon today.</span>
* 我 <strong>今天</strong> 开 了 <em>一 天</em> 会 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>jīntiān</strong> kāi le <em>yī tiān</em> huì.</span> <span class="trans">Today, I attended a full day of meetings.</span>
 
* 我 <strong>今天 早上</strong> 坐 了 <em>一 个 小时</em> 地铁 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>jīntiān zǎoshang</strong> zuò le <em>yī gè xiǎoshí</em> dìtiě.</span> <span class="trans">This morning I rode the metro for an hour.</span>
 
* 我 <strong>刚刚</strong> 打 了 <em>半 个 小时</em> 电话 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>gānggāng</strong> dǎ le <em>bàn gè xiǎoshí</em> diànhuà.</span> <span class="trans">I just talked on the phone for half an hour.</span>
 
* 我 <strong>去年</strong> 在 大学 学 了 <em>一 年</em> 中文 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>qùnián</strong> zài dàxué xué le <em>yī nián</em> Zhōngwén.</span> <span class="trans">Last year at college, I studied a year of Chinese.</span>
 
* 我 和 朋友 <strong>上 个 星期五 晚上</strong> 喝 了 <em>两 个 小时</em> 酒 。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ hé péngyǒu <strong>shàng gè xīngqīwǔ wǎnshang</strong> hē le <em>liǎng gè xiǎoshí</em> jiǔ.</span> <span class="trans">Last Friday night, a friend and I drank alcohol for two hours.</span>
 
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
To indicate that the action is ''definitely still in progress'', use a [[Expressing duration (ongoing)|slightly different pattern]].
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To indicate that the action is ''definitely still in progress'', use a [[Expressing ongoing duration with double "le"|slightly different pattern]].
  
==See also==
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== See also ==
  
 
*[[Expressing duration of inaction]]
 
*[[Expressing duration of inaction]]
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=== Books ===
 
=== Books ===
  
* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)]] (pp. 118-9) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276709 →buy]
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{{Source|HSK Standard Course 3|58}}
* [[Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition]] (pp. 90-1) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615 →buy]
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{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)|118-9}}
*[[40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册)]] (p. 173)[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20 →buy]
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{{Source|Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition|90-1}}
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{{Source|40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册)|173}}
  
 
[[Category:A2 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:A2 grammar points]]
 +
{{HSK|HSK3}}
 
{{Basic Grammar|了|A2|Verb + 了 + Duration|他 在 北京 住 <em>了 两 年</em>。|grammar point|ASGJ36VN}}
 
{{Basic Grammar|了|A2|Verb + 了 + Duration|他 在 北京 住 <em>了 两 年</em>。|grammar point|ASGJ36VN}}
 
{{Similar|Expressing duration of inaction}}
 
{{Similar|Expressing duration of inaction}}
{{Similar|Expressing duration (ongoing)}}  
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{{Similar|Expressing ongoing duration with double "le"}}  
 
{{Similar|Uses of le}}
 
{{Similar|Uses of le}}
 
{{POS|Verbs}}
 
{{POS|Verbs}}

Latest revision as of 08:00, 4 March 2019

Whether you need to express how long you lived somewhere, how long you studied astrophysics, or how long you worked as a mime, you'll need to use 了 (le) to express that time duration.

Basic Usage

Structure

Saying how long you did something for in Chinese can seem tricky, as there is no preposition as in English. Instead it's all about word order:

Subj. + Verb + 了 + Duration + Obj.

So 了 (le) is placed after the verb (to indicate that the action is completed), followed by the duration. This is how you talk about the duration of completed actions.

Examples

  • 他 学 了 一 年 中文 。Tā xué le yī nián Zhōngwén.He studied Chinese for a year.
  • 我 看 了 一 个 晚上 书 。Wǒ kàn le yī gè wǎnshang shū.I read books all evening.
  • 他 做 了 八 年 经理 。Tā zuò le bā nián jīnglǐ.He worked as a manager for eight years.

Also note that 的 can be used in this pattern, which must be placed between the duration and the object.

Subj. + Verb + 了 + Duration + 的 + Obj.

Some examples:

  • 我们 坐 了 十五 个 小时 飞机 。Wǒmen zuò le shíwǔ gè xiǎoshí de fēijī.We took a fifteen hour flight.
  • 奶奶 看 了 一 天 电视 。Nǎinai kàn le yī tiān de diànshì.Grandma watched TV all day.
  • 妈妈 洗 了 一 上午 衣服 。Māma xǐ le yī shàngwǔ de yīfu.Mom washed clothes all morning.

To Express "Definitely Concluded"

Structure

Note that the previous pattern can be used to express the duration of completed actions which are no longer in progress, although strictly speaking, it's not entirely clear if the actions are still ongoing or not. To indicate that the actions are definitely concluded (not ongoing), a time word may be inserted into the sentence to indicate that you're talking about an event in the past:

Subj. + [Time Word] + Verb + 了 + Duration + Obj.

Examples

  • 孩子们 周六 写 了 一天 作业 。Háizi men zhōuliù xiě le yī tiān de zuòyè.The kids did their homework all day Saturday.
  • 我 刚才 打 了 半 个 小时 电话 。Wǒ gāngcái dǎ le bàn gè xiǎoshí diànhuà.I was on the phone for half an hour.
  • 我 昨天 玩 了 一 晚上 游戏 。Wǒ zuótiān wán le yī wǎnshang yóuxì.Yesterday, I played games all evening.
  • 他 昨天 开 了 一 天 车 。Tā zuótiān kāi le yī tiān chē.He drove all day yesterday.
  • 老板 今天 开 了 一 下午 会 。Lǎobǎn kāi le yī xiàwǔ de huì.The boss had meetings all afternoon today.

To indicate that the action is definitely still in progress, use a slightly different pattern.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books