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LEARN + CHINESE / 20 of 300 HSK 1

Little Words, Big Changes 了

In one conversation, your friend can point out whose book it is, ask if you’ve eaten, suggest sitting down, and ask what you think. Chinese uses short particles to do those jobs: 的 links or marks possession, 地 connects a manner to an action, 了 marks completion or change, and 吗、吧、呢 shape questions and suggestions. The examples show each particle in its own sentence.

Examples

这是我的书。
Zhè shì wǒ de shū.
This is my book.
她慢慢地说。
Tā mànmàn de shuō.
She speaks slowly.
我们吃了饭。
Wǒmen chī le fàn.
We’ve eaten.
你呢？我们走吧。
Nǐ ne? Wǒmen zǒu ba.
What about you? Let’s go.
Hint · 힌트
The two 了 entries are related but not identical: one marks an event as completed, while sentence-final 了 often marks a change or new situation. Learn them from full sentences.

Vocabulary

ChineseEnglish
de
links a description to a noun; marks possession
de
marks a description before a verb
le
marks a completed action or a change
ba
softens a suggestion
ma
marks a yes/no question
ne
asks “what about…?”
wǒ de
mine; my
mànmàn
slowly
shuō
to speak; say
shū
book
chīfàn
to eat a meal
zhè shì
this is
nǐ ne
what about you?
wǒmen
we; us
zǒu
to leave; walk
wǒmen zǒu ba
let’s go
mànmàn de
slowly; in a slow way
shū de fēngmiàn
the book’s cover
chī le
ate; have eaten
chī le ma
have you eaten?

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