了
le
Expressing completion with "le"
了 straight after the verb marks the action as completed — which usually, but not always, means past.
Subj. + Verb + 了 + Obj.
How it works
我吃了两个苹果 — I ate two apples. The 了 says the eating finished, and it sits right behind the verb, in front of the object.
了 is aspect, not tense. 我下班了就去 refers to the future: once I've finished work, I'll go. What 了 marks is completion relative to some point, not pastness.
A bare verb + 了 with no object or quantity often sounds unfinished. Give the object some substance (两个苹果, 一杯咖啡) or add a following clause.
Examples
wǒ chī le liǎng gè píng guǒ
我吃了两个苹果。
I ate two apples.
tā mǎi le yí jiàn xīn yī fu
他买了一件新衣服。
He bought a new piece of clothing.
wǒ kàn le nà ge diàn yǐng
我看了那个电影。
I saw that film.
Common mistakes
- Negating removes the 了: 我没吃, not 我没吃了.