L Chinese Grammar Basic

Pinyin L

1. 了 (completion) le The particle 了 (le) placed after a verb indicates that an action has been completed. It marks a change of state or signals that something...
2. Verb + 了吗 (completed?) le ma 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 ...
3. 点零分 (time with single-digit minutes) líng When telling time with minutes from 1 to 9, the word 零 (líng, 'zero') is placed between 点 and the minute number. This is similar to sayin...
4. 了 (change of state) le When placed at the end of a sentence, the particle 了 (le) signals a change of state or a new situation. It tells the listener that someth...
5. 不……了 (not anymore) le The pattern 不……了 (bù...le) is used to express that something is 'not anymore' or that a situation has changed from what it was before. It...
6. ……了 (already, with 'le') le Placing 了 (le) after a verb phrase expresses that an action has already been completed or a new situation has come about. It is one of th...
7. 来 / 去 (directional verbs) lái / qù 来 (lái) means 'to come' (toward the speaker) and 去 (qù) means 'to go' (away from the speaker). They function as directional verbs indicat...
8. 离 (distance) lí Use 离 (lí) to express the distance or separation between two places or points in time. It functions like 'from' in English when describin...