You finished this day
Daily lessons · Day 19 of 90
了, and what it really marks
Finished actions and changed situations
了 is the character learners worry about most. It is not a past tense, because Chinese has no tenses. It marks completion in one position and a change in another, and those two jobs cover nearly everything you will meet.
了 after the verb: it happened
The action is complete. When it happened comes from the time word, not from 了.
Why it works
了 says the action is finished, not that it is in the past. 明天我吃了饭就去, tomorrow once I have eaten I will go, is about the future and still takes 了. This is why calling it a past tense marker causes trouble later: the idea is completion, and the time comes from elsewhere in the sentence.
The negative drops it
了 and 没 never appear together. 没 already says it did not happen.
Why it works
The pair to remember is 了 for it happened and 没 for it did not, never both. 我没吃了 is one of the most recognisable learner errors. Note also that 还没 leaves the door open, while a bare 没 simply reports the fact, which matters when someone asks whether you have eaten.
了 at the end: something changed
At the very end of a sentence, 了 says the situation is new.
Why it works
This 了 is the difference between a fact and a development. 下雨 is it rains; 下雨了 is it has started raining. English does this with now, already and a change of tense, all of which Chinese folds into one syllable at the end of the sentence. When in doubt, ask whether something has just become true. 太贵了 from day 6 was this 了 all along: the price has become too much, which is a change rather than a fact.
你吃了吗 is not always about food
Have you eaten is a common greeting, especially from older people and in the north, roughly where an English speaker would say how are you. A simple 吃了 or 还没 is a complete answer and nobody is offering to feed you. If food is genuinely on the table the context makes it obvious.
Carried over from earlier days
Say each one out loud before you look at the English.
Today’s words 12
Check yourself
8 questions. Get 6 right to finish the day.
What does 了 actually mark after a verb?
- that the action is complete
- that the action is in the past
- that the action is polite
- that the action is repeated
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that the action is complete Completion, not tense. The time comes from elsewhere.
Type I've arrived in pinyin.
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wǒ dào le The standard message when you turn up somewhere.
Which is wrong?
- 我没吃了 wǒ méi chī le
- 我没吃 wǒ méi chī
- 我吃了 wǒ chī le
- 我还没吃 wǒ hái méi chī
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我没吃了 wǒ méi chī le 了 and 没 never appear together.
Where does 了 go in 我买了两本书?
- straight after the verb, before the object
- at the very end
- before the verb
- after the number
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straight after the verb, before the object The completion 了 clings to the verb.
What is the difference between 下雨 and 下雨了?
- the second says it has just started
- the second is more formal
- the second is a question
- there is no difference
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the second says it has just started End-of-sentence 了 marks a change of situation.
Why is calling 了 a past tense marker a problem?
- Chinese has no tenses, and 了 appears in future sentences too
- 了 is only used in writing
- 了 is actually a future marker
- it is never used with time words
Show the answer
Chinese has no tenses, and 了 appears in future sentences too 明天我吃了饭就去 is about tomorrow.
An older neighbour asks 你吃了吗. What is the best reply?
- 吃了 chī le
- 我很好 wǒ hěn hǎo
- 不用了 búyòng le
- 随便 suíbiàn
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吃了 chī le It is a greeting. 吃了 or 还没 closes it.
Type I haven't been yet in pinyin.
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wǒ hái méi qù 还没 is not yet, and it implies you still might.
Question 1 of 8
Writing practice optional
Every character from today, in the order it came up. Watch it, trace it, then write it from memory.
Press Watch to see the stroke order.
Stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi via Hanzi Writer, Arphic Public License.
Character 1 of 24
This lesson is written by an English speaker who learned Mandarin as a second language, and it is waiting on a check by a native speaker. If you spot something off, please tell us and we will fix it.