In Chinese, we can indicate the past tense with either the particle 了 [le] or the structure 是……的 [shì……de]. You can even sometimes just use 的 on its own. So, if they all mean the same thing, how do you know when to use which one? The key is in the emphasis… Let's take a closer look.
了 [le]: For a completed action
We use 了 (le) when we want to indicate that an action has finished, without emphasizing details such as time, place, or manner. It’s similar to the simple past tense in English ("I did", "she ate").
Structure: Subject + Verb + 了 (+ Object)
了 can also go at the end of a sentence when we want to signal that a change has occurred compared with a previous situation, but we'll look at that another time.
| Examples | ||
|---|---|---|
| hanzi | pinyin | meaning |
| 我吃了早饭 | wǒ chī le zǎofàn | I had breakfast (This example only tells us what happened, regardless of when or with whom) |
| 我买了书 | wǒ mǎi le shū | I bought books |
| 他昨天去了超市 | tā zuótiān qù le chāoshì | He went to the supermarket yesterday (Although this example indicates when, the speaker has no intention in emphasizing that information) |
(是……) 的: For emphasis
This structure highlights specific information from the past: when, how, where, with whom, or why something happened. In everyday speech, we often drop 是. However, this only works in positive sentences and questions, never in negative ones.
Structure: (是) + Details + Verb + 的
| Examples | ||
|---|---|---|
| hanzi | pinyin | meaning |
| 他(是)昨天来的 | tā (shì) zuótiān lái de | It was yesterday that he came (Emphasis on when) |
| 我(是)在网上买的书 | wǒ (shì) zài wǎngshang mǎide shū | It was through the internet that I bought the books |
| 我(是)跟朋友去的 | wǒ (shì) gēn péngyou qù de | It was with friends that I went (Emphasis on with whom they went) |
Exercises
Translate the following sentences into Chinese:
- It was by taxi that I arrived.
- They got married last year.
- It was yesterday that she came.
- I ate beef noodles.
- It was at university that she studied.
Answers:
- 我(是)坐出租车来的。
- 他们去年结婚了。(No emphasis)
- 他是昨天来的。
- 我吃了牛肉面。
- 她是在大学学习的。
