了
le
Particle (completed action or change of state)
How to say “it’s raining now” with 了 (le)
Change of State + 了 (le)
了 (le) — change of state
HSK 1Particles
Change of State + 了 (le)
HSK 1Particles了 (le) — change of state
Rule structure
The particle 了 (le) at the end of a sentence shows that a new situation has appeared or that the state has changed. It often means “now”, “already”, or “has started”.
Rule structure
The particle 了 (le) at the end of a sentence shows that a new situation has appeared or that the state has changed. It often means “now”, “already”, or “has started”.
Examples
下雨了！
Xià yǔ le!
It's raining now!
他走了。
Tā zǒu le.
He has left.
我好了。
Wǒ hǎo le.
I am better now.
Examples
下雨了！
Xià yǔ le!
It's raining now!
他走了。
Tā zǒu le.
He has left.
我好了。
Wǒ hǎo le.
I am better now.
Practice
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Characters
Words from this rule
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “change of state” in Chinese with 了?
Use the structure: Change of State + 了 (le). For example: 下雨了！ — “It's raining now!”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
下雨了！ — “It's raining now!”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 1.
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More HSK 1 grammar rules
了 — completed action after the verb
Subj. + Verb + 了 (le) + Obj.
的 — close relationship possession
Pronoun + Close Person
啊 — sentence-final interjection
⋯啊 (a)
不 — not anymore
不 (bù) + Verb Phrase + 了 (le)
呢 — “and …?” questions
Topic + 呢 (ne)?
吧 — softening speech
⋯⋯吧 (ba)
吧 — suggestions with “let's”
Command + 吧 (ba)
的 — possessive “my, your, his”
Noun 1 + 的 (de) + Noun 2