Verb + 了吗 (completed?)

• 拼音: le ma
• 结构: Subject + Verb + Object + 了吗？

含义

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.

例句

1. 你吃饭了吗？
2. 作业写了吗？
3. 你买票了吗？

用法指南

语境: spoken, written, everyday

语气: interrogative

正确说法

• 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。

错误说法

• 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？

起源与历史

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.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal