了 for a completed action
了 right after the verb says the action was carried through. It marks completion, not past tense — and it disappears under 没.
Structure
主语 + 动词 + 了 + （数量词／限定的）宾语
Explanation
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
placed directly after the verb tells the listener that the action reached its end point: “I ate two steamed buns.” It is an aspect marker, not a past tense. That is why “I drink coffee every day” takes no even though it is a real habit, and why “tomorrow, once class is over, I’ll go home” uses about the future. When the object is a bare noun, the sentence tends to feel unfinished — leaves the listener waiting for more. Chinese usually completes it with a quantity (), a modifier (), or a following clause. There is also a second at the end of a sentence that signals a change or a new situation: ？—— “Have you eaten? — Yes, I have.” Beginners can treat that as “something has happened by now”; the two uses are taught together and often overlap in short answers. Under negation the vanishes: the opposite of is .
Correct
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
我吃了两个包子。我吃了兩個包子。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) chīle (first tone, high and level) liǎng (third tone, dipping) ge (neutral tone) bāozi. (first tone, high and level)···
I ate two steamed buns.
他昨天买了一本新书。他昨天買了一本新書。
Tā (first tone, high and level) zuótiān (second tone, rising) mǎile (third tone, dipping) yì (fourth tone, falling) běn (third tone, dipping) xīn (first tone, high and level) shū. (first tone, high and level)···
He bought a new book yesterday.
你吃饭了吗？——吃了。你吃飯了嗎？——吃了。
Nǐ (third tone, dipping) chīfàn (first tone, high and level) le (neutral tone) ma? (neutral tone) — (neutral tone) Chī (first tone, high and level) le. (neutral tone)···
Have you eaten? — Yes, I have.
Incorrect — Common mistakes
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 我昨天没去了商店。
Correct
Correct sentence: 我昨天没去商店。
Why: 没 and 了 contradict each other: one says the action did not happen, the other says it did. Drop the 了.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 我每天喝了咖啡。
Correct
Correct sentence: 我每天喝咖啡。
Why: 每天 marks a repeated habit, and habits are not completed events. No 了 belongs here.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 昨天我看了电影。
Correct
Correct sentence: 昨天我看了一部电影。
Why: A bare object after 了 leaves the sentence hanging. Add a quantity such as 一部, or continue with another clause.
Compared with
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
Learners often assume 了 is “the past tense” and 不 is “the negative”, then build 我不去了商店 or 我没去了商店. Neither works. 了 and 没 describe the same event from opposite sides, so a negated past event uses 没 alone: 我没去商店. And an action that simply is not part of your habits or plans uses 不, with no 了 anywhere: 我不去商店.
Negation: 不 versus 没(有) →Mini quiz
Question 1 / 3Total score: 0
Choose the form that fits: “He ate three apples yesterday.”
他昨天 ___ 三个苹果。