了
Pattern
New situation + 了
Key words
Core idea
Sentence-final 了 can mark a change of state. It shows that a situation has become true, is now different, or is newly relevant.
This is not the same as English past tense. The focus is the change into the current situation.
Compare with completed action
Completed-action 了 attaches closely to a verb. Change-of-state 了 often sits at the end of the sentence and comments on the whole situation.
Examples
下雨了。
Xià yǔ le.
It has started raining.
我不累了。
Wǒ bú lèi le.
I am not tired anymore.
现在很晚了。
Xiànzài hěn wǎn le.
It is late now.
Common mistakes
Avoid
下雨。
Use
下雨了。
When the point is that rain has started or the situation has changed, sentence-final 了 marks the new situation.
Seen in stories
The Late Bus
那个人说：“车来了！”
That person said, “The bus is here!”
The New Neighbor
家里热闹了。
The home became lively.
The Suddenly Red Door
天快黑了，灰色的门终于变红了。
It is almost dark, and the gray door has finally turned red.
The Suddenly Red Door
小安的脸也红了：“我们刷错门了！”
Xiao An’s face turns red too: “We painted the wrong door!”
The Suddenly Red Door
王奶奶看了很久，突然笑了。
Grandma Wang looks for a long time, then suddenly laughs.
Show 6 more story examples
The Alley Turns Bright
连续下了五天雨，巷子里的每个人都快忘记太阳了。
After five straight days of rain, everyone in the alley has almost forgotten the sun.
The Alley Turns Bright
第六天早上，橘猫突然不见了。
On the sixth morning, the orange cat suddenly disappears.
The Alley Turns Bright
走到尽头时，雨声变小了，前面也亮起来了。
At the end, the sound of rain grows softer and the space ahead becomes bright.
The Alley Turns Bright
下午，雨终于停了。
In the afternoon, the rain finally stops.
The Alley Turns Bright
橘猫也有新的工作了：每天早上带人来看天气。
The orange cat has a new job too: bringing people to see the weather every morning.
The Shared Umbrella
下午下雨了。
It started raining in the afternoon.