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Grammar Notes for lesson 14

Aspectual marker 了 le with verbs

When placed after the main verb of a sentence the aspectual marker 了le is used to indicate that an action has been completed, as in 我 买 了 一 辆 自 行 车 wǒ mǎile yí liàng zìxíng chē I bought a bike.
The aspectual marker 了 le is not used in the following situations:
1. The aspectual marker 了le  is not used in the negative form, but instead 没 (有) méi(yǒu) is placed before the main verb. 我 没 买 新 车, 可 是 我 买 了 一 辆 旧 车 wǒ méi mǎi xīnchē, kěshì wǒ mǎi le yí liàng jiù chē I didn’t buy a new bike, but I bought an old one.
2. When 是 shì to be, 在 zài to be in or 有 yǒu to have are used as the main verbs of a sentence, the aspectual marker 了le is not used with them. 去 年 我有 一 辆 很 好 的 车 qùnián wǒ yǒu yí liàng hěn hǎo de chē last year I had a very good bike.
3. If a sentence contains a modal verb, the aspectual marker 了 le is not used. 去 年 我 想 买 一辆 车 qùnián wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí liàng chē last year I wanted to buy a bike.
4. The aspectual marker 了 le is not used in the ‘complement of degree’ construction. 昨 晚 他 饭 作 得 很 好 zuó wǎn tā fàn zuò de hěn hǎo last night he cooked very well.
5. The aspectual marker 了 le  is not used for those verbs which indicate direct and indirect speech. 他 上 个 月 说 要 来 看 我 tā shàng ge yuè shuō yào lái kàn wǒ he said last month that he would visit me.
6. The aspectual marker 了 is not used in attributive clauses. 我 昨 天 买 的 车 wǒ zuótiān mǎi de chē the bike which I bought yesterday.

The particle  过 guo

The particle 过 guo is placed after a verb and is used in the following two situations.
1. It is used to indicate that a particular action has been experienced, as in 我 吃 过 英 国 菜 wǒ chīguo Yīngguó cài I have eaten English food.
2. It can also to be used to indicate that a regular action such as the daily eating of a meal has been completed, as in 你 吃 过 饭 吗 nǐ chīguo fàn ma have you eaten?

The action measure

is used as an action measure in sentences. Like time measures, an action measure is placed after the verb in an affirmative sentence and before the verb in a negative sentence, as in 我 去 过 一 次 中 国 wǒ qùguo yí cì Zhōngguó I have been to China once.