了
le
Particle (completed action or change of state)
How to say “have been doing” in Chinese with double 了
Verb + 了 (le) + Duration + 了 (le)
了 (le) — ongoing duration with double 了 (le)
HSK 3Verb phrases
Verb + 了 (le) + Duration + 了 (le)
HSK 3Verb phrases了 (le) — ongoing duration with double 了 (le)
Rule structure
The structure Verb + 了 (le) + duration + 了 (le) shows that an action started in the past, has lasted for the stated duration, and is still continuing now. The first 了 (le) follows the verb; the final 了 (le) marks the current relevance of the situation.
Rule structure
The structure Verb + 了 (le) + duration + 了 (le) shows that an action started in the past, has lasted for the stated duration, and is still continuing now. The first 了 (le) follows the verb; the final 了 (le) marks the current relevance of the situation.
Examples
我学中文学了三年了。
Wǒ xué Zhōngwén xué le sān nián le.
I have been learning Chinese for three years.
他打篮球打了五年了。
Tā dǎlánqiú dǎ le wǔnián le.
He has been playing basketball for five years.
他等车等了十分钟了。
Tā děng chē děng le shífēnzhōng le.
He has been waiting for the bus for ten minutes.
Examples
我学中文学了三年了。
Wǒ xué Zhōngwén xué le sān nián le.
I have been learning Chinese for three years.
他打篮球打了五年了。
Tā dǎlánqiú dǎ le wǔnián le.
He has been playing basketball for five years.
他等车等了十分钟了。
Tā děng chē děng le shífēnzhōng le.
He has been waiting for the bus for ten minutes.
Practice
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say “ongoing duration with double 了” in Chinese with 了?
Use the structure: Verb + 了 (le) + Duration + 了 (le). For example: 我学中文学了三年了。 — “I have been learning Chinese for three years”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
我学中文学了三年了。 — “I have been learning Chinese for three years”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.
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More HSK 3 grammar rules
了 — ongoing duration
Verb + 了 (le) + Duration + 了 (le)
难 — hard to do
难 (nán) + Verb
很 — very with verbs
很 (hěn) + Verb
没办法 — can't help, no way
没办法 (méi bànfǎ) + Verb
一边 — doing two things at once
一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2
如果…就 — if… then…
如果 (rúguǒ)……，就 (jiù)……
万 — big numbers
Number + 万 (wàn) / 亿 (yì)
地 — turning adjectives into adverbs
Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb