<p>Ok, I saw <a href="https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/3594528" rel="noreferrer">explanation</a> that:</p>

<ul>
<li>我去了商店。（means: I have gone to the shop already）</li>
<li>我去商店了。（means: I am going to the shop now）</li>
</ul>

<p>So I expected to meet 了 for the past tense only right after the verb:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>昨天我去了商店。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But actually I saw that this is also possible:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>昨天我去商店了。/ 昨天我们去长城了。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So is it correct for the past tense to separate 了 with the verb? Is there any difference in meaning?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-02T12:41:49.753Z
我去商店了 means *I am going to the shop now* under a very special circumstance: as a explanation to where you're going when you're leaving the company of people. Other times it just means the same as 我去了商店.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-02T13:10:48.190Z
@droooze "I am going to the shop now" is "我(要)去商店啦", which sounds very close to "我去商店了". So, don't confuse "我去商店啦" with "我去商店了". They mean differently indeed.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-02T13:14:35.047Z
@dan I don't agree with that construction 我(要)去商店啦, it should be 我要去商店了, with 要 or 現在 omitted in colloquial speech. Similarly, 我要走了, 我要洗澡了, ...
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-02T13:23:03.797Z
@dan see [this](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BA%86#Definitions): `了 #3: Used at the end of a sentence to inform the beginning of an action.`
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-02T13:27:47.160Z
@droooze also, refer to this dictionary definition: 啦 la

1 

助词。“了”（le）和“啊”（a）的合音，兼有“了”和“啊”的作用。
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-02T14:03:32.797Z
@droooze i think both 了 and 啦 could be valid. but in op's case, i prefer 我去商店啦，because it's clear.我去商店了 is ambiguous and by default it is interpreted as i have gone to the shop.
dan
<grammar><particles><word-order>
Place of 了 particle for the past tense?
# Place of 了 particle for the past tense?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-02)

Ok, I saw [explanation](https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/3594528) that:

* 我去了商店。（means: I have gone to the shop already）
* 我去商店了。（means: I am going to the shop now）

So I expected to meet 了 for the past tense only right after the verb:

> 昨天我去了商店。

But actually I saw that this is also possible:

> 昨天我去商店了。/ 昨天我们去长城了。

So is it correct for the past tense to separate 了 with the verb? Is there any difference in meaning?

**Tags:** grammar, particles, word-order

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 我去商店了 means *I am going to the shop now* under a very special circumstance: as a explanation to where you're going when you're leaving the company of people. Other times it just means the same as 我去了商店.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 "I am going to the shop now" is "我(要)去商店啦", which sounds very close to "我去商店了". So, don't confuse "我去商店啦" with "我去商店了". They mean differently indeed.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 I don't agree with that construction 我(要)去商店啦, it should be 我要去商店了, with 要 or 現在 omitted in colloquial speech. Similarly, 我要走了, 我要洗澡了, ...  
> **username_1**: @username_2 see [this](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BA%86#Definitions): `了 #3: Used at the end of a sentence to inform the beginning of an action.`  
> **username_2**: @username_1 also, refer to this dictionary definition: 啦 la  1   助词。“了”（le）和“啊”（a）的合音，兼有“了”和“啊”的作用。  
> **username_2**: @username_1 i think both 了 and 啦 could be valid. but in op's case, i prefer 我去商店啦，because it's clear.我去商店了 is ambiguous and by default it is interpreted as i have gone to the shop.  

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## 0 answers

