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Level Foundations · HSK 1

了 and 没: Finished Actions, Not Yet and Change

Chinese verbs have no tenses. Time words (昨天, 明天) tell you when; 了 (le) tells you something else: that an action is complete, or that a situation has changed. Because English uses the past tense for both, learners tend to treat 了 as "the past tense marker" and put it everywhere. This guide shows where it really goes.

了 for a completed action

There are two common positions. Sentence-final 了 reports that something happened: 我吃饭了 (I've eaten). Verb + 了 + an object with a number or description focuses on what was done: 我买了三本书 (I bought three books).

If the object after verb-了 is bare (我买了书), the sentence sounds unfinished, as if "... and then" should follow. Either give the object a number or move 了 to the end.

Describing a past state or a habit takes no 了: 我昨天很忙 (I was busy yesterday).

  • 我吃饭了。

    Wǒ chī fàn le.

    I've eaten.

  • 我买了三本书。

    Wǒ mǎi le sān běn shū.

    I bought three books.

  • 他昨天去了上海。

    Tā zuótiān qù le Shànghǎi.

    He went to Shanghai yesterday.

  • 我昨天很忙。

    Wǒ zuótiān hěn máng.

    I was busy yesterday.

没 for "didn't" and 还没 for "not yet"

To say an action didn't happen, use 没 (or 没有) before the verb, and drop 了: the two cancel each other out. 不 is for "won't" and "don't (usually)". 还没 + verb means "not yet", often with 呢 at the end.

To ask, add 吗 or 没有: 你吃饭了吗？ / 你吃饭了没有？ Answer 吃了 or 没吃.

  • 我昨天没去。

    Wǒ zuótiān méi qù.

    I didn't go yesterday.

  • 你吃饭了吗？——没吃。

    Nǐ chī fàn le ma? — Méi chī.

    Have you eaten? — No, I haven't.

  • 我还没吃饭呢。

    Wǒ hái méi chī fàn ne.

    I haven't eaten yet.

了 for a new situation

At the end of a sentence, 了 can also mean "now": things have changed. 下雨了 is "it's started raining", 我不去了 is "I'm not going any more" (change of plan).

  • 下雨了。

    Xià yǔ le.

    It's raining now.

  • 天冷了。

    Tiān lěng le.

    It's got cold.

  • 我不去了。

    Wǒ bú qù le.

    I'm not going after all.

  • 他二十岁了。

    Tā èrshí suì le.

    He's twenty now.

Common mistakes

  • ✗我没去了。

    ✓我没去。

    Wǒ méi qù.

    没 already says the action didn't happen, so there's no completed action for 了 to mark.

  • ✗我昨天不去。

    ✓我昨天没去。

    Wǒ zuótiān méi qù.

    不 is for will not or don't usually. For something that didn't happen, use 没.

  • ✗我昨天很忙了。

    ✓我昨天很忙。

    Wǒ zuótiān hěn máng.

    A past state needs no 了. 昨天 already sets the time; 了 here would mean "I've become busy".

  • ✗我买了书。

    ✓我买了一本书。 / 我买书了。

    Wǒ mǎi le yì běn shū. / Wǒ mǎi shū le.

    A bare object after verb + 了 sounds unfinished. Add a number, or put 了 at the end.

Questions learners ask

Can 了 be used about the future?

Yes, because it marks completion, not past time. 明天吃了饭再走 means "tomorrow, after eating, (then) leave". The meal will be complete before the leaving.

Can a sentence have two 了?

Yes: 我学了两年了 means "I've been studying for two years (and still am)". That's a B1 pattern; see the B1 guide on time spans.

Practice this in lessons

The Foundations lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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