Level 2 · Elementary
How long: duration after the verb
Verb + (了) + Duration
How long something lasts goes AFTER the verb: 他睡了十个小时 "he slept ten hours", 我们等了二十分钟 "we waited twenty minutes".
With an object, the duration slides in before it, usually with 的: 我学了两年的中文 "I studied Chinese for two years". Putting the duration before the verb (English style) is the classic mistake.
Examples
他睡了十个小时。
他睡了十個小時。
tā shuì le shí gè xiǎo shí
He slept for ten hours.
我们等了二十分钟。
我們等了二十分鐘。
wǒ men děng le èr shí fēn zhōng
We waited for twenty minutes.
我学了两年的中文。
我學了兩年的中文。
wǒ xué le liǎng nián de zhōng wén
I've studied Chinese for two years.
他在北京住了五年。
tā zài běi jīng zhù le wǔ nián
He lived in Beijing for five years.
Common mistakes
✗ 我两年学了中文。
✓ 我学了两年的中文。
Duration comes after the verb, not before it.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like The Phone on the Bench (Part 1), Bath Time, The Big Move (Part 2) inside the Literate Chinese app.
