了 + 时段
le + shí duàn
Expressing duration with "le"
How long an action lasted goes after the verb, following 了.
Verb + 了 + Duration
How it works
他在北京住了两年 — he lived in Beijing for two years, and no longer does.
This is the reverse of negative duration, where the time goes first (三年没回家).
With an object, the verb repeats or the duration slips in front of it: 我学了两年中文.
Examples
tā zài běi jīng zhù le liǎng nián
他在北京住了两年。
He lived in Beijing for two years.
wǒ xué le liǎng nián zhōng wén
我学了两年中文。
I studied Chinese for two years.
wǒ děng le bàn gè xiǎo shí
我等了半个小时。
I waited half an hour.