Grammar
Completed Action with 了
Verbs do not change form in Mandarin (see sentence structure). Instead, the particle 了 (le) marks that an action is completed.
Verb + 了
Place 了 right after the verb:
- 我 吃 了 饭。 — "I ate."
- 他 看 了 书。 — "He read a book."
- 我 去 了 学校。 — "I went to school."
End-of-sentence 了
了 at the very end can mark a change of state or new situation:
- 天 黑 了。 — "It's gotten dark."
- 我 是 学生 了。 — "I'm a student now."
Negating past actions: use 没, drop 了
Past negation uses 没 (méi) instead of 不, and 了 is dropped:
- ✅ 我 没 吃 饭。 — "I didn't eat."
- ❌ 我 没 吃 了 饭。
Quiz
Pick the best answer for each question. You get feedback right away.
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What does 了 mark right after a verb?
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How do you say "I did not eat"?
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"天 黑 了" means: