HSK 1 · Article · 219 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/how-to-talk-about-the-past-with-le

我学了“了”

How to talk about the past with 了

Name: ________________ Date: ________

中文zhōngwén怎么zěnme说shuō昨天zuótiān的de事shì？“吃chī”不变búbiàn，“买mǎi”也yě不变búbiàn。做zuò了le的de事shì，我们wǒmen常常chángcháng在zài后边hòubian加jiā一个yígè“了le”。

“我wǒ吃chī了le一yí个gè包子bāozi。”“我wǒ买mǎi了le三sān个gè苹果píngguǒ。”“我wǒ写xiě了le五wǔ个gè汉字hànzì。”

邱飞八bā岁suì，星期六xīngqīliù上shàng中文zhōngwén课kè。苗miáo老师lǎoshī问wèn邱飞：“你nǐ昨天zuótiān做zuò什么shénme了le？”

邱飞说shuō：“我wǒ昨天zuótiān去qù了le商店shāngdiàn，买mǎi了le三sān个gè苹果píngguǒ，还hái看kàn了le一个yígè电影diànyǐng。”

苗miáo老师lǎoshī说shuō：“很hěn好hǎo！”

苗miáo老师lǎoshī还hái问wèn：“你nǐ昨天zuótiān学习xuéxí了le吗ma？”

邱飞说shuō：“我wǒ没méi学习xuéxí了le。”

苗miáo老师lǎoshī说shuō：“昨天zuótiān没méi做zuò的de事shì，说shuō‘没méi’，不bù说shuō‘了le’。我们wǒmen说shuō：‘我wǒ没méi学习xuéxí。’”

邱飞说shuō：“昨天zuótiān我wǒ很hěn忙máng了le。”

苗miáo老师lǎoshī说shuō：“说shuō昨天zuótiān怎么样zěnmeyàng，‘很hěn忙máng’后边hòubian也yě不bù加jiā‘了le’。我们wǒmen说shuō：‘昨天zuótiān我wǒ很hěn忙máng。’”

下课xiàkè的de时候shíhou，苗miáo老师lǎoshī问wèn：“邱飞，你nǐ今天jīntiān学xué了le什么shénme？”

邱飞想xiǎng了le想xiǎng，说shuō：“我wǒ学xué了le‘了le’！”

苗miáo老师lǎoshī笑xiào了le：“你nǐ说shuō对duì了le！”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
中文	zhōngwén	Chinese (language)
说	shuō	to speak; to say
昨天	zuótiān	yesterday
事	shì	thing; matter; affair
吃	chī	to eat
买	mǎi	to buy; to purchase
做	zuò	to do
包子	bāozi	steamed bun (with filling)
三	sān	three
苹果	píngguǒ	apple
写	xiě	to write
五	wǔ	five

English (for the teacher)

How do you talk about yesterday in Chinese? 吃 "eat" doesn't change, and 买 "buy" doesn't change either. For something that got done, we often add a 了 after the verb.

"I ate a steamed bun." "I bought three apples." "I wrote five characters."

Qiu Fei is eight and has Chinese class on Saturdays. Teacher Miao asked him: "What did you do yesterday?"

Qiu Fei said: "Yesterday I went to the shop, bought three apples, and watched a film too."

Teacher Miao said: "Very good!"

Then she asked: "Did you study yesterday?"

Qiu Fei said: "I didn't studied."

Teacher Miao said: "For something you didn't do yesterday, say 没 and don't say 了." "We say: 'I didn't study.'"

Qiu Fei said: "Yesterday I was busied."

Teacher Miao said: "When you say how yesterday was, you don't add 了 after 很忙 either." "We say: 'Yesterday I was busy.'"

When class was over, Teacher Miao asked: "Qiu Fei, what did you learn today?"

Qiu Fei thought for a moment and said: "I learned 了!"

Teacher Miao laughed: "You got that right!"