语法 · HSK 1–3
How to use 了 (le) in Chinese
了 has two main jobs. Right after a verb (verb-了) it marks an action as completed: 我买了三本书 "I bought three books". At the end of a sentence (sentence-了) it marks a change of situation: 下雨了 "It has started raining". 了 is not a past-tense marker: habits in the past take no 了, and negated completed actions use 没 without 了.
句型Patterns
Subject + Verb + 了 + Quantity/ObjectCompleted action; the object usually has a number or description.… + 了 (end of sentence)Change of state or new situation: 我饿了, 他二十岁了.Subject + Verb + 了 + Duration + 了An action that has lasted until now and continues: 我学了两年了.没 + Verb (no 了)Negation of a completed action.
例句Examples
- 我昨天买了三本书。wǒ zuó tiān mǎi le sān běn shū.I bought three books yesterday.
- 下雨了，我们回家吧。xià yǔ le, wǒ men huí jiā ba.It's started raining, let's go home.
- 他已经吃了晚饭了。tā yǐ jīng chī le wǎn fàn le.He has already had dinner.
- 我学中文学了两年了。wǒ xué zhōng wén xué le liǎng nián le.I've been studying Chinese for two years.
- 我昨天没去上课。wǒ zuó tiān méi qù shàng kè.I didn't go to class yesterday.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗我昨天没去了上课。
✓我昨天没去上课。
没 already says the action did not happen; do not add 了.
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✗我小时候常常去了公园。
✓我小时候常常去公园。
Past habits are not completed single actions, so no 了.
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✗我买了书。
✓我买了一本书。 / 我买书了。
Verb-了 with a bare object sounds unfinished; add a quantity or use sentence-了.
重点词语Words in this guide
Common questions
Is 了 the past tense in Chinese?
No. 了 marks completion or a change of situation. Time words like 昨天 show the past; 了 can also appear with the future, as in 明天我下了课就去.
When do I use 了 twice?
Verb-了 plus sentence-了 shows something done so far that continues or matters now: 我已经写了三页了 "I have written three pages so far".