HSK 1
了 (le): Completed Actions in Chinese
了 after a verb marks a completed action, not past tense. It normally does not appear with future time words for one-off future events, and it is not used for habitual or ongoing states.
STRUCTURE
Subject + Verb + 了 + Object
Right vs. wrong
我明天去了北京。
我明天去北京。
了 with a future time word
我每天吃了早饭。
我每天吃早饭。
了 on a habitual action
Examples
我昨天去了北京。
Wǒ zuótiān qù le Běijīng.
I went to Beijing yesterday.
他买了三本书。
Tā mǎi le sān běn shū.
He bought three books.
我吃了饭再走。
Wǒ chī le fàn zài zǒu.
I'll leave after eating.
Common mistakes
我明天去了北京。
Wǒ míngtiān qù le Běijīng.
了 marks completion; drop it with 明天 for a simple future plan.
我每天吃了早饭。
Wǒ měitiān chī le zǎofàn.
Habitual actions don't take 了.
Think you've got it?
Write your own 了 sentence and let the coach check it.