Learn Completed actions with 了 (le) in Mandarin Chinese. Clear HSK 2 grammar explanation with examples in Chinese, pinyin, and English. Free on Dumplingo.
Completed actions with 了 (le) The particle 了 (le) is one of the most common and important particles in Chinese. When placed after a verb, it indicates that an action has been completed. Think of it as marking that something happened or was done. Basic structure [Subject] + Verb + 了 + (Object) Examples 1. 我吃了饭。 wǒ chī le fàn. I ate (a meal). / I have eaten. - The 了 shows the eating is completed. 2. 他买了一本书。 tā mǎi le yī běn shū. He bought a book. - The action of buying is finished. 3. 我们看了电影。 wǒmen kàn le diànyǐng. We watched a movie. - The movie watching is complete. Important: 了 is NOT a past tense marker Chinese doesn't have past tense like English. 了 simply marks completion, which usually (but not always) happened in the past. 4. 你吃了饭再去吧。 nǐ chī le fàn zài qù ba. Go after you've eaten. (Future completion!) - Here 了 marks completion that will happen in the future. Negative form: 没(有) To negate a completed action, use 没 or 没有 (méi/méiyǒu), NOT 不. Drop the 了. 5. 我没吃饭。 wǒ méi chīfàn. I didn't eat. / I haven't eaten. 6. 他没买书。 tā méi mǎi shū. He didn't buy a book. Questions with 了 Add 吗 at the end: 7. 你吃了饭吗？ nǐ chī le fàn ma? Did you eat? Or use the verb-没-verb pattern: 8. 你吃了饭没有？ nǐ chī le fàn méiyǒu? Have you eaten or not? With specific objects When there's an object, it's more natural to include a number/measure word or description: 9. 我喝了一杯咖啡。 wǒ hē le yī bēi kāfēi. I drank a cup of coffee. 10. 她写了很多字。 tā xiě le hěn duō zì. She wrote many characters. More examples 11. 昨天我去了北京。 zuótiān wǒ qù le Běijīng. Yesterday I went to Beijing. 12. 他学了两年汉语。 tā xué le liǎng nián Hànyǔ. He studied Chinese for two years. Key points - Use 了 after a verb to show completion - For negation, use 没(有) without 了 - Objects often need a number/measure word or adjective - 了 ≠ past tense (it can be future or general completion too) --- Next grammar point: [Asking "or" questions with 还是 (háishi)](/grammar/hsk2/asking_or_questions_with_ha