Aspectual particles in Mandarin are words that are used to express aspect, which refers to the state of an action (e.g. if it is complete or in progress). Some of the most common aspectual particles include: 了 transcribed le, 过 transcribed guo, 着 transcribed zhe, and 在 transcribed zài. For example, to mark the completion of an action, you can add 了 transcribed le and 过 transcribed guo right after a verb:
- 他去了中国。Transcription: Tā qùle Zhōngguó.Translation: He went to China.
- 他去过中国。Transcription: Tā qùguo Zhōngguó.Translation: He has been to China.
In this post, we’re going to talk about 了 transcribed le and 过 transcribed guo, how they are used, as well as their differences. Are you ready?
What are particles in Mandarin Chinese?
Particles are words that are added to another word, phrase, or sentence to indicate different supplementary meanings, grammatical relations, or moods, but don’t have actual intrinsic meanings. In Mandarin, there are structural particles, aspectual particles, and modal particles. 了 transcribed le is an aspectual particle as well as a modal particle.
Let’s explore the aspectual particles!
How to use 了 (le) as an aspectual particle in Mandarin?
了 transcribed le has two very important grammatical functions: one is to mark the completion of an action, and the other is to mark the change of state. Let’s see how it works!
Using 了 (le) for completion of an action
When 了 transcribed le goes right after a verb, it marks the completion of an action. For example:
- 刚刚下了雨。Transcription: Gānggāng xiàle yǔ.Translation: It just rained.
- 我看了这本书。Transcription: Wǒ kànle zhèběn shū.Translation: I read the book.
In the first example, 了 transcribed le marks the completion of raining. That is, the rain has stopped. The same happens in the second example, where 了 transcribed le helps convey that the speaker completed reading the book.
了 transcribed le in this capacity is also used in the so-called serial verb constructions, which are constructions with more than one verb. In these sentences, 了 transcribed le can be placed at the end of the sentence or after another verb but never after the first verb:
- O 他待在图书馆查资料了。Transcription: Tā dāizài túshūguǎn chá zīliào le.Translation: He stayed in the library to look for materials.
The aspectual 了 is added in the end of the sentence.
- X 他待在了图书馆查资料。Transcription: Tā dāizài le túshūguǎn chá zīliào.Translation: He stayed in the library to look for materials.
The aspectual 了 can never be placed after the first verb.
Using 了 (le) for change of state
When you use 了 transcribed le to mark the change of state, it usually comes at the end of the sentence. For example:
- 下雨了。Transcription: Xià yǔle.Translation: It started to rain.
- 雨停了。Transcription: Yǔ tíngle.Translation: The rain stopped.
In the first example, 下雨了 implies that it wasn’t raining, but now it started to rain. So there's a change of state. The same goes for the second example. It was raining but now it has stopped, so you would say 雨停了.
How to use 过 (guo) for past experiences in Mandarin?
过 transcribed guo is an aspectual particle that indicates a past experience; it goes right after a verb and implies that the action is no longer going on at the time of speaking.
- 我结过婚。Transcription: Wǒ jiéguo hūn.Translation: I was married.
- 我去过上海。Transcription: Wǒ qùguo Shànghǎi.Translation: I have been to Shanghai.
过 transcribed guo also implies discontinuity. That is, when someone says “我结过婚” the person is probably not married at the moment. Or if someone says “我去过上海” the person is not in Shanghai.
过 transcribed guo usually works with verbs that could happen more than once, or repeatable actions. For example, if you want to say someone died, you would use 了 instead of 过.
- X 他死过。Transcription: Tā sǐguo.
- O 他死了。Transcription: Tā sǐle.Translation: He is dead.
When to use 了 (le) vs. 过 (guo) in Mandarin?
Now we have seen that both 了 transcribed le and 过 transcribed guo are used for completed events, but it could still be confusing as to when to use 了 transcribed le and when to use 过 transcribed guo, right? Let’s take a look at some of the differences between 了 transcribed le and 过 transcribed guo.
过 (guo) implies discontinuity
The major difference that distinguishes 过 transcribed guo and 了 transcribed le is that 过 transcribed guo implies the discontinuity of an event but with 了 transcribed le, it can go either way. Look at these two examples:
- 他去过中国。Transcription: Tā qùguo Zhōngguó.Translation: He has been to China.
- 他去了中国。Transcription: Tā qùle Zhōngguó.Translation: He has gone to China.
In the first example, 过 transcribed guo marks the past experience that does not continue at the time of speech. So, it implies that the person is no longer in China. In the second example, however, 了 transcribed le only marks the completion of an action, but not the current situation. Still confused? Let’s look at some more examples:
- 我结过婚。Transcription: Wǒ jiéguo hūn.Translation: I was married.我结了婚。Transcription: Wǒ jiéle hūn.Translation: I got married.
The first sentence with 过 implies that the event did not continue into the present (i.e., I’m not married anymore), whereas in the second sentence, we don’t know if the person is still married, as it can go either way with 了 transcribed le.
了 (le) does not take negation
Remember that 了 transcribed le marks the completion of an action; it cannot be used for things that didn't happen in the past. That is to say, 了 transcribed le can’t take negation. When you’re talking about things that didn’t happen in the past, do not use 了 transcribed le. For example:
- X 我没去了中国。Transcription: Wǒ méi qùle Zhōngguó.
- O 我没去中国。Transcription: Wǒ méi qù Zhōngguó.Translation: I didn’t go to China.
However, it is okay for 过 transcribed guo to take negation to express an experience you haven’t had. For example:
- O 我没去过中国。Transcription: Wǒ méi qùguo Zhōngguó.Translation: I haven’t been to China.
过 (guo) can’t be used for a single past event
If you are talking about a one-time past event, then what you need to use is 了 transcribed le, not 过 transcribed guo. Again, 过 transcribed guo is for repeatable past experiences, not for describing a one-time event.
- O 我姐姐去年结婚，今年生了一个孩子。Transcription: Wǒ jiějie qùnián jiéhūn, jīnnián shēngle yīgè háizi.
- X 我姐姐去年结婚，今年生过一个孩子。Transcription: Wǒ jiějie qùnián jiéhūn, jīnnián shēngguo yīgè háizi.Translation: My sister got married last year. She gave birth to a child this year.
In this context, “giving birth to a child” is a one-time event, so you can’t use 过 transcribed guo here. However, if you express the idea that someone has the experience of giving birth to a baby, then you would use 过 transcribed guo. For example:
- 她生过两个孩子。Transcription: Tā shēngguo liǎnggè háizi.Translation: She has given birth to two children. / She has had two children.
When both 了 (le) and 过 (guo) can be used in Mandarin?
When 了 and 过 appear in the sentence, 了 marks the change of state, not the completion of an action. Let’s take a look at the following examples:
- 我吃过饭了。Transcription: Wǒ chīguo fànle.Translation: I have had my meal.
In this example, 过 transcribed guo suggests discontinuity. That is, the action of eating has ended. 了 transcribed le marks the change from not having had the meal to having had the meal. Let’s check out another example:
- 你看过这本书了吗？Transcription: Nǐ kànguo zhè běn shūle ma?Translation: Have you read the book?
Similarly, in this example, 过 transcribed guo marks the experience of reading the book and the action has ended in the past. 了 transcribed le suggests the change of state from not having read the book to having read the book.
To sum up
Mandarin uses aspectual particles right after the verb to mark the state of a verb, such as 了 transcribed le and 过 transcribed guo. An easy way to distinguish between these two is to think of 了 transcribed le as a one-time single event (e.g., I went to China) and 过 transcribed guo as a repeatable past experience (e.g. I have been to China).
Now, let’s get some practice with 了 transcribed le and 过 transcribed guo, to see if you can use them like a native! Or better yet, check out our post on the other aspectual particles: 着 transcribed zhe and 在 transcribed zài!
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