Level 1 · Beginner
Completed actions with 了
Subj. + Verb + 了 + Obj.
了 (le) right after a verb marks the action as completed: 我买了三个苹果 "I bought three apples". It usually translates as past tense, but it really means "done" — it can even describe the future (明天吃了饭再走 "tomorrow, leave after eating").
To say something did NOT happen, use 没(有) and drop the 了: 我没买苹果. 没 and 了 almost never appear together.
Examples
我买了三个苹果。
我買了三個蘋果。
wǒ mǎi le sān gè píng guǒ
I bought three apples.
他喝了一杯茶。
tā hē le yī bēi chá
He drank a cup of tea.
我昨天看了一个电影。
我昨天看了一個電影。
wǒ zuó tiān kàn le yī ge diàn yǐng
I watched a movie yesterday.
妈妈做了很多菜。
媽媽做了很多菜。
mā ma zuò le hěn duō cài
Mom made a lot of dishes.
Common mistakes
✗ 我没买了苹果。
✓ 我没买苹果。
没 negates a completed action by itself — the 了 disappears.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: Washing clothes · A New Problem — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
