动词A1

了 for Completed Actions

Using 了 to indicate completed actions

Learning Goal

I can express completed actions using 了

Exam Skills:HSK 1 ReadingHSK 1 Writing

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

我吃了午饭。

I ate lunch.

她买了三本书。

She bought three books.

我没看那个电影。

I didn't watch that movie.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

了的用法

The particle 了 (le) placed after a verb signals that an action has been completed.

Structure: Subject + Verb + 了 + Object

ChinesePinyinEnglish
我吃了饭。Wǒ chī le fàn.I ate / I have eaten.
他买了书。Tā mǎi le shū.He bought a book.
她喝了水。Tā hē le shuǐ.She drank water.

Negation: Use 没(有) méi(yǒu) instead of 不 — and remove 了: 我没吃饭 (I didn't eat).

Tip: 了 is NOT a past tense marker — it marks completion, which can even refer to future events: 你吃了饭再走 (Eat first, then go).

Learners treat 了 as a past tense marker like English '-ed', but it marks completion, not tense. Another common error is using 不 for negation instead of 没: say 我没吃饭, not *我不吃了饭. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Don't equate 了 with past tense — 了 marks completion and can appear in future contexts.

Common Error Patterns

Treating 了 as a past tense marker rather than a completion marker

了 marks completion, not past tense. It can appear in future contexts too: 你吃了饭再走.

Using 不 instead of 没 to negate completed actions

Use 没 (not 不) and remove 了: 我没吃饭, not *我不吃了饭.

我吃了午饭。

I ate lunch.

了 after 吃 (chī, eat) marks the action as completed: I ate lunch.

她买了三本书。

She bought three books.

了 after 买 (mǎi, buy) signals the purchase is done. The number + measure word (三本) follows 了.

我没看那个电影。

I didn't watch that movie.

Negation of completed actions uses 没 (méi) — NOT 不. Notice 了 is removed: 我没看, not *我没看了.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course
← Back to topics

Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course