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了lecompleted action marker

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

了 (le) means a particle that marks completed action after a verb, or a change of state at the end of a sentence. Aspect is not the same as past tense: 了 can appear with future completion too. Learners often start with Verb + 了, then learn sentence-final 了 for a new situation.

What does 了 mean?

  1. 1.

    completed action markerparticle

  2. 2.

    modal particle indicating change of state, situation nowparticle

What does the character 了 mean?

  • 了completed action marker

How do you use 了?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    Subj. + Verb + 了 (+ Obj.)

    Put 了 after the verb to mark that the action is complete in the time frame you mean. Time words or a quantity on the object often make the pattern clearer.

  2. 2

    Subj. + Adj. / Verb (+ phrase) + 了

    Sentence-final 了 marks a change of state: something is now true that was not true before (often readable as "now").

了 can sit right after the verb for completion, or at the end of the sentence for a new situation; both uses appear often in everyday speech.

Patterns

  • Verb + 了 + Number + Measure + Noun

    我买了三本书。

    Wǒ mǎi le sān běn shū.

    I bought three books.

  • 不 + Verb + 了

    我不去了。

    Wǒ bú qù le.

    I'm not going anymore.

What are some examples of 了 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    他们到了。

    Tāmen dào le.

    They have arrived.

  2. HSK 1

    我今天吃了早饭。

    Wǒ jīntiān chī le zǎofàn.

    I ate breakfast today.

  3. HSK 3

    我饿了。

    Wǒ è le.

    I'm hungry (now).

  4. HSK 1

    下雨了。

    Xiàyǔ le.

    It's raining (now).

How is 了 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你吃饭了吗？

    Nǐ chīfàn le ma?

    Have you eaten?

  2. Speaker B:

    吃了，我十二点吃的。

    Chī le, wǒ shí'èr diǎn chī de.

    Yes, I ate at twelve.

  3. Speaker A:

    你怎么了？

    Nǐ zěnme le?

    What's wrong with you?

  4. Speaker B:

    我饿了。

    Wǒ è le.

    I'm hungry.

  5. Speaker A:

    外面下雨了吗？

    Wàimiàn xiàyǔ le ma?

    Has it started raining outside?

  6. Speaker B:

    下了，我们回去吧。

    Xià le, wǒmen huíqù ba.

    It has; let's go back.

Can you use 了 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 他们到___。
  2. 2.Fill in the blank: 我饿___。
  3. 3.Which sentence marks completion with 了?

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.