Verb + 了吗 (completed?)

• Pinyin: le ma
• Formation: Subject + Verb + Object + 了吗？

Meaning

Adding 了吗 (le ma) after a verb asks whether an action has been completed. It combines the completion marker 了 with the question particle 吗 to form 'have you done...?' questions.

The pattern Verb + 了吗 is used to ask whether an action that was expected or planned has already taken place. It is the natural way to check on task completion: 你吃了吗？(Have you eaten?), 你做了吗？(Have you done it?). The 了 here marks completion (perfective aspect), not past tense — Chinese does not have grammatical tense. The negative answer uses 还没(有) instead of 不: 还没吃 (haven't eaten yet). A common mistake is answering with 不 — you should use 没 or 还没 to negate completed actions. This pattern differs from the change-of-state 了 at the end of a sentence, which signals a new situation rather than completion of a specific action.

Examples

1. 你吃饭了吗？ Have you eaten?
2. 作业写了吗？ Has the homework been finished?
3. 你买票了吗？ Have you bought the tickets?

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: interrogative

Do Say

• 你给妈妈打电话了吗？
• 今天的报告交了吗？
• 你看了吗？我发给你的那个视频。

Don't Say

• 你吃饭了吗没有？(了吗 and 没有 are two different question forms — do not combine them in the same sentence) → 你吃饭了吗？
• 你不吃了吗？(不 negates habitual or future actions, not completed ones — to ask about non-completion, use 没 or 还没...吗) → 你没吃吗？

Origin & History

This pattern combines two grammatical particles: 了 (completion/change of state, originating from the verb 了 meaning 'to finish' in classical Chinese) and 吗 (yes-no question marker). Together they form a natural way to check whether something has happened.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal