<p>Let's try to view 了1 and 了2from another angle:</p>
<p><strong>(了2)</strong> indicates &quot;change of state&quot;, which simply means &quot;<strong>something wasn't before, now is</strong>&quot;.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>下雨 <strong>了</strong>。(It wasn't raining, but now it is.)</p>
</li>
<li><p>宝宝 会 说话 <strong>了</strong>。(He couldn't before)</p>
</li>
<li><p>他 当 经理 <strong>了</strong>。(He wasn't a manager before.)</p>
</li>
<li><p>我 饿 <strong>了</strong>。(Now I am hungry.)</p>
</li>
<li><p>妈妈 老 <strong>了</strong>。(now mother is getting old.)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>(了1)</strong> is called <strong>aspect</strong>, which is not the same as tense. Tense is about when an action happens: past, present, or future. With regards to 了 (le); <strong>aspect</strong> is about whether the action is complete in a certain time frame, regardless of tense.</p>
<p>&quot;我得把书還[huán]<strong>了1</strong>&quot; is an action to be complete in the future, &quot;但是書外皮已經破<strong>了2</strong> (it wasn't broken before), also note that 破 is not a verb representing action.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_completion_with_%22le%22" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_completion_with_%22le%22</a></p>
<p><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Change_of_state_with_%22le%22" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Change_of_state_with_%22le%22</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-14T19:29:01.093Z
2022-09-14T19:29:01.093Z
r13
<p>The sentences are from <em>New Practical Chinese Reader 2</em>.  In the first case, the original snippet is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>现在我们就去借书，我们从这儿出去。<strong>我得先把上次借的书还了</strong>。</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/x7Vzgm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/x7Vzgm.png" alt="image from textbook" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>(Note it's 还 = &quot;return&quot;, not 换 = &quot;exchange&quot;.)</p>
<p>You can see from the image that he hasn't yet returned the book, so it's definitely not a completion 了.  It looks like a change of state 了: originally he said 我们就去借书 = &quot;we're are going to borrow books&quot;, but realized he has to return his book first.</p>
<p>(On the other hand, it could just be a 语气词 (modal particle), because 把上次借的书还 without the 了 sounds unnatural or even wrong.)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>办公室在三楼，<strong>我们上楼去，先把借书证办了</strong>。</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ixRJNm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ixRJNm.png" alt="image from textbook" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Again, we can see from the image in the textbook that they haven't gone upstairs yet, so it cannot be a completion 了.  I think it's a change of state 了; basically they were doing something (checking out the Beijing library), and now he's saying they need to do something else (go upstairs and get a library card).</p>
<hr />
<p>I suggest avoiding relating 了 and &quot;tense&quot; (the keyword here is &quot;aspect&quot;, not &quot;tense&quot;).</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我走了！<br />
I'm leaving.  [present tense]</p>
<p>等我回家了再说。<br />
Wait until I get home, and then we can speak. [future tense]</p>
<p>昨天我没去公园。<br />
I didn't go to the park yesterday. [past tense without 了]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In regards to...</p>
<blockquote>
<p>And if 了 acts as the completion marker, can it be used with present and future tenses?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I think it would be fairly rare, if not impossible, to have something considered &quot;completed&quot; when we're talking about the present or future.  It sounds like it'd just be a grammar error (outside of science fiction with time travel).</p>
<p>Also completion 了 is <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/20856/8099">not used with all verbs</a>.  My teacher told me a good example of her student getting it wrong once: if I remember correctly her grandfather had passed away, and her student asked her:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><s>他喜欢了做什么？</s><br />
What did he like to do?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The other thing that students don't realize (at least, it took me a long time to realize) is that, a lot of the time 了 is not used:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>昨天，我看见一只鹿。<br />
Yesterday, I saw a deer.</p>
<p>昨天，我在学校学得很努力。<br />
Yesterday, I studied hard.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is unlike e.g. past tense, where it's far less optional.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-14T07:01:17.103Z
2022-09-14T07:08:41.507Z
2022-09-14T07:08:41.507Z
Becky 李蓓
<p>现在我们就去借书，我们从这儿出去。我得先把上次借的书还了。</p>
<p>My understanding of this sentence is that to borrow books (去借书) is the main purpose to come to the library. (先把上次借的书还了) is a secondary task but it has to be done before 去借书. （maybe there is a limitation on the number of books that we can borrow). Therefore the final word 了 can be seen as a &quot;modal particle&quot;, or just a convention to end this sentence.</p>
<p>You can also say 我先去还上次借的书.</p>
<p>Formally, this sentence can be reconstructed as 我先去还书, 再去借书.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-14T16:02:27.323Z
2022-09-14T16:02:27.323Z
PdotWang
<p>One of the functions of 了 is marking the completion of an action. (了1) Another function is marking a change of state. (了2) Personally it is sometimes difficult for me to distinguish between these two functions.</p>
<p>Here are two examples, where 了 is used. But I can't figure it out which function it has. (completion of an action 了1, or change of state 了2)</p>
<p>我得把书换了。</p>
<p>1: I must return the book and complete this action.</p>
<p>2: (I didn't have to return the book before but) Now I have to return the book.</p>
<p>我们上楼去，先把借书证办了。</p>
<p>And if 了 acts as the completion marker, can it be used with present and future tenses?</p>
<p>The two examples provided above, seem to in present and future tense.</p>

<grammar><particles><tense>
Confusing 了1 and 了2
# Confusing 了1 and 了2

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-14)

One of the functions of 了 is marking the completion of an action. (了1) Another function is marking a change of state. (了2) Personally it is sometimes difficult for me to distinguish between these two functions.

Here are two examples, where 了 is used. But I can't figure it out which function it has. (completion of an action 了1, or change of state 了2)

我得把书换了。

1: I must return the book and complete this action.

2: (I didn't have to return the book before but) Now I have to return the book.

我们上楼去，先把借书证办了。

And if 了 acts as the completion marker, can it be used with present and future tenses?

The two examples provided above, seem to in present and future tense.

**Tags:** grammar, particles, tense


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-09-14. Score: 1

Let's try to view 了1 and 了2from another angle:

**(了2)** indicates "change of state", which simply means "**something wasn't before, now is**".

* 下雨 **了**。(It wasn't raining, but now it is.)
* 宝宝 会 说话 **了**。(He couldn't before)
* 他 当 经理 **了**。(He wasn't a manager before.)
* 我 饿 **了**。(Now I am hungry.)
* 妈妈 老 **了**。(now mother is getting old.)

**(了1)** is called **aspect**, which is not the same as tense. Tense is about when an action happens: past, present, or future. With regards to 了 (le); **aspect** is about whether the action is complete in a certain time frame, regardless of tense.

"我得把书還[huán]**了1**" is an action to be complete in the future, "但是書外皮已經破**了2** (it wasn't broken before), also note that 破 is not a verb representing action.

Hope this helps.

<https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_completion_with_%22le%22>

<https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Change_of_state_with_%22le%22>


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-09-14. Score: 1

The sentences are from *New Practical Chinese Reader 2*. In the first case, the original snippet is:

> 现在我们就去借书，我们从这儿出去。**我得先把上次借的书还了**。
>
> [![image from textbook](https://i.sstatic.net/x7Vzgm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/x7Vzgm.png)

(Note it's 还 = "return", not 换 = "exchange".)

You can see from the image that he hasn't yet returned the book, so it's definitely not a completion 了. It looks like a change of state 了: originally he said 我们就去借书 = "we're are going to borrow books", but realized he has to return his book first.

(On the other hand, it could just be a 语气词 (modal particle), because 把上次借的书还 without the 了 sounds unnatural or even wrong.)

> 办公室在三楼，**我们上楼去，先把借书证办了**。
>
> [![image from textbook](https://i.sstatic.net/ixRJNm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/ixRJNm.png)

Again, we can see from the image in the textbook that they haven't gone upstairs yet, so it cannot be a completion 了. I think it's a change of state 了; basically they were doing something (checking out the Beijing library), and now he's saying they need to do something else (go upstairs and get a library card).

---

I suggest avoiding relating 了 and "tense" (the keyword here is "aspect", not "tense").

> 我走了！  
> I'm leaving. [present tense]
>
> 等我回家了再说。  
> Wait until I get home, and then we can speak. [future tense]
>
> 昨天我没去公园。  
> I didn't go to the park yesterday. [past tense without 了]

In regards to...

> And if 了 acts as the completion marker, can it be used with present and future tenses?

I think it would be fairly rare, if not impossible, to have something considered "completed" when we're talking about the present or future. It sounds like it'd just be a grammar error (outside of science fiction with time travel).

Also completion 了 is [not used with all verbs](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/20856/8099). My teacher told me a good example of her student getting it wrong once: if I remember correctly her grandfather had passed away, and her student asked her:

> ~~他喜欢了做什么？~~  
> What did he like to do?

The other thing that students don't realize (at least, it took me a long time to realize) is that, a lot of the time 了 is not used:

> 昨天，我看见一只鹿。  
> Yesterday, I saw a deer.
>
> 昨天，我在学校学得很努力。  
> Yesterday, I studied hard.

This is unlike e.g. past tense, where it's far less optional.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-09-14. Score: 0

现在我们就去借书，我们从这儿出去。我得先把上次借的书还了。

My understanding of this sentence is that to borrow books (去借书) is the main purpose to come to the library. (先把上次借的书还了) is a secondary task but it has to be done before 去借书. （maybe there is a limitation on the number of books that we can borrow). Therefore the final word 了 can be seen as a "modal particle", or just a convention to end this sentence.

You can also say 我先去还上次借的书.

Formally, this sentence can be reconstructed as 我先去还书, 再去借书.


---

