Chinese Aspect Markers — 了, 着, 过

Chinese verbs do not conjugate for tense the way English verbs do. Instead, small words called aspect markers (体标记) attach after a verb to show whether an action is completed, ongoing, or experienced. The three most common are 了 (le), 着 (zhe), and 过 (guo).

了 marks completion or a change of state; 着 marks an ongoing action or a continuing state; 过 marks a past experience. Understanding these three unlocks most of the "tense" you need for everyday Chinese.

Because they attach to the verb rather than to a subject or a time word, they describe the internal shape of the action (its aspect) rather than when it happens (its tense).

了 (le) has two main uses. As a verb suffix (动态助词) it marks that an action is completed: 我吃了饭 (wǒ chī le fàn) — I ate. 他买了车 (tā mǎi le chē) — he bought a car. 她去了北京 (tā qù le Běijīng) — she went to Beijing.

As a sentence-final particle (语气助词) it marks a change of state or a new situation: 下雨了 (xià yǔ le) — it is raining now. 我饿了 (wǒ è le) — I am hungry now. 他走了 (tā zǒu le) — he has left. 天冷了 (tiān lěng le) — it is getting cold.

A sentence can use both: 我吃了饭了 (wǒ chī le fàn le) — I have eaten (and that is now a new situation). The first 了 marks completion, the second marks the change of state.

To negate a completed action, use 没 (méi) and drop the 了: 我没吃饭 (wǒ méi chī fàn) — I did not eat. 他没来 (tā méi lái) — he did not come. 我没买 (wǒ méi mǎi) — I did not buy it.

Do not say 我没吃了 — the 了 is dropped when you use 没. 没 already tells the listener the action did not reach completion.

Use 不 (bù) for habitual or future negation: 我不吃 (wǒ bù chī) — I do not eat (habitually). 我不去了 (wǒ bù qù le) — I am not going anymore. The 不...了 pattern means "not anymore / no longer".

着 (zhe) attaches after a verb to show an action in progress or a continuing state: 他坐着 (tā zuò zhe) — he is sitting. 门开着 (mén kāi zhe) — the door is open. 她笑着 (tā xiào zhe) — she is smiling.

Use it for "in the middle of doing": 他在看着书 (tā zài kàn zhe shū) — he is reading a book. 我们正在谈着 (wǒ men zhèng zài tán zhe) — we are in the middle of talking.

The pattern V着V describes two actions happening at once: 他站着说话 (tā zhàn zhe shuō huà) — he talks while standing. 她笑着点头 (tā xiào zhe diǎn tóu) — she nods while smiling.

Existential sentences (存现句) use 着 to describe a scene: 墙上挂着一幅画 (qiáng shàng guà zhe yī fú huà) — a painting hangs on the wall. 门口站着一个人 (mén kǒu zhàn zhe yī gè rén) — a person is standing at the door.

过 (guo) marks that something has been experienced at some point in the past: 我去过中国 (wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó) — I have been to China. 他吃过火锅 (tā chī guo huǒ guō) — he has eaten hot pot. 你看过这部电影吗 (nǐ kàn guo zhè bù diàn yǐng ma) — have you seen this movie?

过 is about experience, not a specific time. You use it to ask and answer whether something has ever happened: 你去过吗 (nǐ qù guo ma) — have you ever been? 我还没去过 (wǒ hái méi qù guo) — I have not been there yet.

Negate with 没...过: 没去过 (never been), 没吃过 (never eaten), 没看过 (never seen). The 过 stays even in the negative form, unlike 了.

了 marks a completed action tied to a specific occurrence; 过 marks general life experience. 我去了北京 (wǒ qù le Běijīng) — I went to Beijing (a specific trip, and I may still be there). 我去过北京 (wǒ qù guo Běijīng) — I have been to Beijing (at some point, and I am back).

Use 了 for "did it" and 过 for "have done it before": 我吃了饭 (I ate, a specific meal) vs 我吃过饭 (I have eaten before, so I am not hungry now).

Because 过 refers to experience, it often appears with time words like 以前 (before): 我以前去过 (wǒ yǐ qián qù guo) — I went there before. 了 does not usually pair with "ever/before" because it marks a specific completion.

Do not put 了 after every verb in a sentence. Only mark the completion you want to emphasize: 我昨天去买了书 (wǒ zuó tiān qù mǎi le shū) — I went to buy a book yesterday (only 买 gets 了, not 去).

Do not use 了 with 没. Say 我没去 (wǒ méi qù), not 我没去了. The negative 没 already cancels the 了.

Do not use 着 for actions that are not continuous. 他在想 (tā zài xiǎng, he is thinking) is enough; 想着 sounds like "missing/worrying about" and can change the meaning.

Remember 过 stays in the negative (没...过) while 了 is dropped in the negative (没...). 没吃过 vs 没吃了 — only the first is correct for "never eaten".