When to use 'LE'

How do I use 了 (le) in Mandarin Chinese?

So I've been getting frustrated about how to use le. I realize it's use to suggest the completion of an action and is not an indicator of past tense necessarily. I am using a book I bought out here in China and the English is not great at times and doesn't seem to even attempt to explain the difference between using verb + le and sentence + le.
What's the difference between 他去了北京　ａｎｄ　他去北京了。　Ｏｒ　我买了两件衣服　ａｎｄ　我买毛衣了 (I know one is clothes and one is sweater).
Please keep things simple. I'm no linguistics expert sadly.
谢谢

Asked by Tony - General Chinese - 3 Answers

Answers

Answerer 1

I just had the Chinese grammar classes at several weeks ago, I know the two sentences他去了北京and他去北京了are different. The first 了 is used as an accessory word. The second了 is used as a modal particle.

1 years ago, answered by lance  

Answerer 2

I partly agree with the previous answer. There are two tones about the Chinese character “了,” which can be pronounced as “le” or “liǎo.”
1. When it is pronounced as “le”
A. It is used as an accessory word. Example, 我刚吃了饭(wǒ gāng chīle fàn) I just ate a meal. Here, the usage of “了” in the sentence “他去了北京” is the same.
B. It is used as a modal particle. Example, 我吃过饭了(wǒ chī guò fàn le) I have eaten. Here, the sentence “他去北京了” is like this kind of usage.
2. When it is pronounced as “liǎo.” It means “完结(wánjié)” end. Examples, “了解(liǎojiě)”、“了结(liǎojié).” Usually, when了 is pronounced as “liǎo,” it can’t be used alone. Got it? If you have any Chinese grammar related questions, please continue asking the questions here. I am glad to help you.-Jennifer

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