Show common aspect particles with examples
Understanding Chinese Tenses: A Simple Approach: Show common aspect particles with examples
Common aspect particles in Chinese mark the state or progression of an action. The most common ones are:
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了 (le): Indicates a completed action or a change of state. Example: 我吃了。 (Wǒ chī le.) — I have eaten.
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着 (zhe): Indicates an ongoing or continuous action. Example: 他坐着。 (Tā zuò zhe.) — He is sitting.
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过 (guò): Indicates a past experience, meaning the action has been done before. Example: 我去过中国。 (Wǒ qù guò Zhōngguó.) — I have been to China.
These particles provide important aspectual information about actions without changing the verb tense as in English. 2, 3, 8