了1 (Verb-suffix了)
S + V + 了 + (O)
It means the action is complete and it should always be placed immediately after the verb.
Here comes the tricky part. Is using 了1 equivalent to the past tense in English?
The answer is NO! There is no past tense in Chinese. But we use “le” to indicate a completed action. Therefore, there are some cases where we would use past tense in English, but we don’t use “le in Chinese. For example, “I didn’t eat it” is past tense in English, but the action isn’t really finished. You didn’t eat the food, so we don’t use “le” in Chinese. Therefore, please do not link 了1 with past tense.
There are other verbs that we never use “le” with because they cannot be completed. For example, “love” can’t be completed. So we never use “le” with it in Chinese.
他吃了飯他吃了饭
He had a meal. (It emphasizes the action of eating has been completed.)
我睡了覺我睡了觉
I slept. (It emphasizes that I am currently awake since I have completed the action of sleeping.)
我明天下了課就要回家我明天下了课就要回家
I’m going home tomorrow right after finish the class.
(This is another good example showing that 了 le is not a past tense marker. )
Add more details with 了1
S + V +了1 + Number + Measure Word + O
他昨天吃了兩碗飯他昨天吃了两碗饭
He ate two bowls of rice yesterday.
我喝了五杯水我喝了五杯水
I drank 5 glasses of water.
老師給了你5塊錢嗎?老师给了你5块钱吗?
Did the teacher give you five dollars?
Time Duration
S + V +了1 + Time spent + (的 de + O)
This pattern indicates the duration of a completed activity.
他晚上看了兩個鐘頭的電視他晚上看了两个钟头的电视
He watched two hours of television at night.
他跟他男朋友交往了七年他跟他男朋友交往了七年
He was in a relationship with his boyfriend for seven years.
你以前在台灣學了多久的中文?你以前在台湾学了多久的中文?
How long did you study Chinese in Taiwan before?