⑤Particle "了"

Chinese Study Course [ Lesson5 ]

5-1 Aspect Particle "了"

(1) What is the Aspect Particle "了" ?

Aspect particle "了"

• In the form of 'verb + 了', "了" is used immediately after the verb to indicate the realization or completion of an act or a motion.
• This "了" is called "Aspect particle". It represents the realization or completion of the act or the motion, not the past tense.
• Be careful, in Chinese, the difference between past, present, and future tenses is judged from the context and sentence modifiers. So there is no past tense. This does not indicates past tense.

(2) How to Use the Aspect Particle "了"

　➀Affirmative form

I have/had bought two Chinese dictionary in the bookstore.

我在书店买了两本日汉词典。

wǒ zài shū diàn mǎi le liǎng běn rì hàn cí diǎn 。

◆Detailed explanation 我（subject）+在书店（prepositional phrase, place）+买（verb）+了（aspect particle）+两本日汉词典（object）。 ・在书店（prepositional phrase, place）➡在（preposition）+书店（noun） ・两本日汉词典（object）➡两（number）+本（quantifier）+日汉词典（noun） ※在 When used as a verb ➡Verb「在」：小王在哪儿？（Where is Xiao Wang?）小王（subject）+在（verb）+哪儿（demonstrative pronoun, place）？ （We have already studied in Lesson 4！） When used as a preposition ➡preposition「在」：我+在（preposition）+书店+买（verb）+了+两本日汉词典。 The preposition "在" is used as "在 + a noun indicating a place".

◆Vocabulary note 买　　　：（verb）buy 本　　　：（quantifier） A quantifier that counts the number of books, magazines, pamphlets, account books, etc. 日汉词典：（noun）日中辞書

After having finished class tomorrow, I'll go to you.

明天下了课，我去找你。

míng tiān xià le kè ，wǒ qù zhǎo nǐ 。

◆Detailed explanation 明天（time）+下（verb）+了（aspect particle）+课（object），+我（subject）+去（verb）+找你（Verbal phrase, object of verb「去」）。 ※As talking about tomorrow, "明天下了课" shows the future completion.

◆Vocabulary note 课　：（noun） class 去　：（verb） go 找　：（verb） visit

He have/had written two letters.

他写了两封信。

tā xiě le liǎng fēng xìn 。

◆Detailed explanation 他（subject）+写（verb）+了（aspect particle）+两封信（object）。 ・两封信（object）➡两（number）+封（quantifier）+信（noun）

◆Vocabulary note 写：（verb） write 封：（quantifier） A quantifier that counts the number of seals, such as letters, telegrams, and official documents 信：（noun） letter

　◆Advanced Study　他写了信了。

He has written a letter.

他写了信了。

tā xiě le xìn le 。

◆Detailed explanation 他（subject）+写（verb）+了（aspect particle）+信（object）+了(speech particle)。

　➁Negative form

Had she come on Sunday? She didn't have come.

她星期日来了没有？　她没有来。

tā xīng qī rì lái le méi yǒu ？　tā méi yǒu lái 。

◆Detailed explanation 她（subject）+星期日（time）＋来（verb）+了（aspect particle）+没有（adverb, question）？　她（subject）+没有（adverb, negative）+来（verb）。 ※没有 When indicating the negative form of the verb "有" ➡Adverb「没有」+verb「在」：我没有电脑。（I do not have a computer.）我（subject）+没（adverb, negative)+有（verb）+电脑（object）。 （We have already studied in Lesson 4！） When indicating the negative form of the realization or completion of the act or the motion by using the aspect particle "了" ➡Adverb「没有」+verb：她+没有（adverb, negative）+来（verb）。（"了" disappears.） When showing the question of the realization or completion of the act or the motion by using the aspect particle "了" ➡Adverb「没有」that make up questions are placed at the end of the sentence. 她星期日来了+没有（adverb, question）？

　③Interrogative form (Question)

　（ⅰ） Add "吗? (speech particle, question)" at the end of a sentence

Have you read the newspaper this morning?

早上你看了新闻吗？

zǎo shàng nǐ kàn le xīn wén ma ？

◆Detailed explanation 早上（time）+你（subject）+看（verb）+了（aspect particle）+新闻（object）+吗（speech particle, question）？

◆Vocabulary note 早上：（noun） morning 看　：（verb） read, watch 新闻：（object） newspaper

　（ⅱ） Add "没有? (adverb, question)" at the end of a sentence

Have you read the newspaper this morning?

早上你看了新闻没有？

zǎo shàng nǐ kàn le xīn wén méi yǒu ？

◆Detailed explanation 早上（time）+你（subject）+看（verb）+了（aspect particle）+新闻（object）+没有（adverb, question）？

　（ⅲ） Repeated question（"了" disappears.）

Have you read the newspaper this morning?

早上你看没看新闻？

zǎo shàng nǐ kàn méi kàn xīn wén ？

◆Detailed explanation 早上（time）+你（subject）+看没看（Repeated question/［Affirmative form ＋ Negative form］）+新闻（object）？

　

5-2 Speech Particle "了"

(1) What is the Speech Particle "了" ?

Speech particle "了"

• "了" at the end of a sentence is called "Speech particle". There are 3 ways to use it:
• Acknowledgment of completion (a tone of confirmation that something has already happened)
• Change of situation (a tone indicating that the situation has changed)
• Occurrence of a new situation (a tone that expresses the occurrence of a new situation, used at the end of an affirmative sentence)

(2) How to use the Speech Particle "了" ?

　➀Acknowledgment of completion

• To give a concrete explanation of the tone of the phrase "confirmation of completion," for example, when asking, "What did you eat?" is used to check unknown content and communicate it.
• Regarding "I ate Chinese steamed buns.", when the content of the action/action is already known (when it is already clear in the flow of the story), for example, "How many Chinese buns did you eat?" When the story is developed, use the form of "verb + aspect particle 了''.

　（ⅰ） When to use the speech particle "了"

What did you eat? I ate Chinese steamed buns.

你吃什么了？ 我吃包子了。

nǐ chī shén me le ？ wǒ chī bāo zǐ le 。

◆Detailed explanation 你（subject）+吃（verb）+什么（object/interrogative pronoun）+了（speech particle, completion）？ 我（subject）+吃（verb）+包子（object）+了（speech particle, completion）。

　（ⅱ） When to use the aspect particle "了"

How many Chinese steamed buns have you eaten? I ate three buns.

你吃了几个包子？ 我吃了三个包子。

nǐ chī le jǐ gè bāo zǐ ？ wǒ chī le sān gè bāo zǐ 。

◆Detailed explanation 你（subject）+吃（verb）+了（aspect particle）+几个包子（object）？　 我（subject）+吃（verb）+了（aspect particle）+三个包子（object）。

◆Vocabulary note 几：(pronoun) (asking for a number less than 10) How many, How much 个：(quantifier) (to count pieces) pieces

　➁Change of situation

• For example, you can use it when to say your friend's changing situation such that she is now a lawyer.
• Besides this, it can be used when to say your changed situation such that you will not attend a meeting that you were planning to attend.

Now she is a lawyer.

现在她是律师了。

xiàn zài tā shì lǜ shī le 。

◆Detailed explanation 现在（time）+她（subject）+是（verb）+律师（object）+了（speech particle, changed situation）。

I will not attend tomorrow's banquet.

明天的宴会我不参加了。

míng tiān de yàn huì wǒ bù cān jiā le 。

◆Detailed explanation 明天的宴会（title）+我（subject）+不（adverb/negation）+参加（verb）+了（speech particle, changed situation）。

　◆Advanced Study Syntax with Title

I don't know the details.

详细情况我不知道。

xiáng xì qíng kuàng wǒ bù zhī dào 。

◆Detailed explanation 详细情况（title）+我（subject）+不（adverb/negation）+知道（verb）。

　③Occurrence of a new situation

• It is used when a new situation arises, such as you need to go to the barber because your hair has grown.

Hair is long, it's time for a haircut.

头发长了，该理发了。

tóu fā zhǎng le ，gāi lǐ fā le 。

◆Detailed explanation 头发（subject）+长（adjective）+了（speech particle, new situation），（subject omission）+该（auxiliary verb）+理发（verb）+了（speech particle, new situation）。

◆Vocabulary note 头发：（noun） hair 长　：（adjective） long 该　：（auxiliary verb） have to ･･･ 理发：（verb） hair cut