Lesson 13: Using 了 to Indicate Completed Actions

Goal

Learn how to use the particle 了 (le) to indicate completed actions in Chinese.

1. Key Vocabulary

Chinese	Pinyin	English
看	kàn	to watch, to see
吃	chī	to eat
喝	hē	to drink
去	qù	to go
回	huí	to return
做	zuò	to do, to make
买	mǎi	to buy
昨天	zuó tiān	yesterday
今天	jīn tiān	today
水	shuǐ	water
电影	diàn yǐng	movie
饭	fàn	meal, rice
东西	dōng xi	things, stuff
家	jiā	home, family
累	lèi	tired

2. Grammar Point 1: Using 了 (le) to Indicate Completed Actions

What is 了 (le)?

了 (le) is a particle used to indicate that an action has been completed. It is placed after the verb.

Structure:

Subject + Verb + 了 + Object

Examples:

• 我吃了饭。
  Wǒ chī le fàn.
  I ate (a meal).
• 他看了电影。
  Tā kàn le diànyǐng.
  He watched a movie.
• 他们回了家。
  Tāmen huí le jiā.
  They went home.
• 我昨天买了东西。
  Wǒ zuótiān mǎi le dōngxi.
  I bought things yesterday.

Notes on Usage

• 了 is used only when the action is completed, not when something is happening or will happen in the future.
• Time expressions like 昨天 (yesterday) often help clarify that the action is in the past.
• If you’re negating a completed action, use 没 (méi) or 没有 (méiyǒu) — not 不 (bù) — and omit 了:
  ❌ 我不吃了饭。
  ✅ 我没吃饭。 (I didn’t eat.)

3. Grammar Point 2: 了 (le) at the end of a sentence

This 了 often expresses a change of situation or new state. It usually comes at the end of the sentence.

Structure:

Subject + Verb + Object + 了 (at the end)

Examples:

• 我吃饭了。
  Wǒ chī fàn le.
  I have eaten.
• 我累了。
  Wǒ lèi le.
  I am tired now.

Tip: Sentence-final 了 is about “now it’s different” or “something has changed”, not just completion.

4. Key differences

Feature	Verb +了 (after verb)	Sentence-final 了
Focus	Completion of action	Change of state / new situation
Position	After verb	End of sentence
Example	我喝了水 (I drank water)	我喝水了 (I drank water / now I’ve drunk it, emphasis on new state)

Practice: Translation Exercises