了 at the end: something has changed
下雨了, 我不去了, 他二十岁了: 了 at the end of a sentence says the situation is new.
Part of the free A2 Chinese course (about HSK 3). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
A second job for 了
In 了: a completed action, 了 after a verb marks an action that is done. 了 at the end of a sentence often does something else: it says the situation has changed, or is new. Something is true now that wasn't true before.
- 下雨了！(Xià yǔ le!)It's raining! (It's started to rain.)
- 天黑了，我们回家吧。(Tiān hēi le, wǒmen huí jiā ba.)It's got dark; let's go home.
- 他二十岁了。(Tā èrshí suì le.)He's twenty now.
English often shows this with now, got, become or started. Chinese uses just 了.
| Without 了: a plain fact | With 了: a change |
|---|---|
| 天很冷。(Tiān hěn lěng.) It's cold. | 天冷了。(Tiān lěng le.) It's got cold. |
| 我会开车。(Wǒ huì kāichē.) I can drive. | 我会开车了。(Wǒ huì kāichē le.) I can drive now. |
| 他很高。(Tā hěn gāo.) He's tall. | 他高了。(Tā gāo le.) He's got taller. |
It works with nouns and 是 too:
- 我妹妹是大学生了。(Wǒ mèimei shì dàxuéshēng le.)My younger sister is a university student now.
- 现在十点了。(Xiànzài shí diǎn le.)It's ten o'clock now.
Not any more: 不…了
不 + verb + 了 means "not any more", or "I've changed my mind":
- 我不去了。(Wǒ bú qù le.)I'm not going after all.
- 她不喝咖啡了。(Tā bù hē kāfēi le.)She doesn't drink coffee any more.
All gone: 没有…了
没有 + 了 means something has run out:
- 牛奶没有了。(Niúnǎi méiyǒu le.)We've run out of milk.
- 我没钱了。(Wǒ méi qián le.)I've got no money left.
When there's no object, the two 了 can meet in one: 他走了 (tā zǒu le) = he's left. It's both a finished action and a new situation: he isn't here now.
Common mistakes
我没去了。for "I didn't go" → 我没去。没 + verb takes no 了. (不…了 and 没有 + noun + 了 are fine: they describe a change.)他是二十岁了。→ 他二十岁了。Ages normally take no 是 (Numbers 0–99 and your age); 是 is added only for contrast or emphasis.昨天我很累了。for "I was tired yesterday" → 昨天我很累。A plain description needs no 了. With 了 it means you had become tired.我不抽烟。for "I've given up smoking" → 我不抽烟了。Without 了 it's just a fact (I don't smoke), with no change.我了不去。→ 我不去了。This 了 goes at the very end.
Practice
- 外面下雨_____，带把伞吧。(Wàimiàn xià yǔ ___, dài bǎ sǎn ba.)Options: 了 (le) · 过 (guo) · 着 (zhe)
Show the answer
了 (le) — A new situation: it wasn't raining before. Sentence-final 了.
- 我女儿六岁_____。(Wǒ nǚ'ér liù suì ___.)
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了 — 了 for a new situation: she's reached six.
- What does 我不想去了。(Wǒ bù xiǎng qù le.) mean?Options: I don't want to go any more. · I didn't want to go. · I never wanted to go.
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I don't want to go any more.
- Which sentence means 'He doesn't smoke any more'?Options: 他不抽烟了。(Tā bù chōuyān le.) · 他不抽烟。(Tā bù chōuyān.) · 他没抽烟了。(Tā méi chōuyān le.)
Show the answer
他不抽烟了。(Tā bù chōuyān le.) — 不 + verb + 了 = not any more. Without 了 it's just 'he doesn't smoke'.