Lesson 4: Past Events

Overview

Chinese does not have tenses the way European languages do. Instead, completion and change are marked with the particle 了 (le). This lesson focuses on the verbal 了 that marks a completed action, how to negate completed actions with 没有, and time words like 刚才 (just now) and 已经 (already) that anchor events in the recent past.

Learning Objectives

• Use V + 了 + (Object) to describe completed actions
• Negate past actions correctly with 没有 + V (no 了)
• Use 刚才 and 已经 to specify timing
• Distinguish between verbal 了 (completion) and sentence-final 了 (change of state)

Vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
刚才	gāngcái	adv	just now	刚才他来了。
已经	yǐjīng	adv	already	我已经吃了。
以前	yǐqián	adv	before, in the past	以前我住在北京。
发生	fāshēng	v	to happen, to occur	发生了什么事？
告诉	gàosù	v	to tell	他告诉我了。
完成	wánchéng	v	to complete, finish	作业完成了。
买	mǎi	v	to buy	我买了一本书。
吃	chī	v	to eat	你吃了吗？
来	lái	v	to come	她来了。
走	zǒu	v	to leave, to walk	他走了。
忘	wàng	v	to forget	我忘了带钥匙。
打	dǎ	v	to hit, to play, to make (a call)	我打了一个电话。
睡	shuì	v	to sleep	你睡了几个小时？
说	shuō	v	to say, to speak	他说了什么？

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: V + 了 + (Object)

Structure: Subject + Verb + 了 + (Object)

The particle 了 immediately after a verb signals that the action was completed. When there is a direct object, 了 appears between the verb and the object.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我吃了早饭。	Wǒ chī le zǎofàn.	I ate breakfast.
她买了一件新衣服。	Tā mǎi le yī jiàn xīn yīfu.	She bought a new piece of clothing.
他告诉了我这件事。	Tā gàosù le wǒ zhè jiàn shì.	He told me about this matter.
我们完成了任务。	Wǒmen wánchéng le rènwù.	We completed the task.

Common mistake: Do not add 了 after stative verbs like 是, 有, 觉得, or adjectives. 了 marks completion of action verbs, not state verbs.

Pattern 2: 没有 + V (negating past actions)

Structure: Subject + 没有 + Verb + (Object)

To say something did not happen, use 没有 before the verb. Crucially, do not use 了 in the negative form. The two cannot coexist in the same clause.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我没有吃早饭。	Wǒ méiyǒu chī zǎofàn.	I did not eat breakfast.
她没有告诉我。	Tā méiyǒu gàosù wǒ.	She did not tell me.
他昨天没有来。	Tā zuótiān méiyǒu lái.	He didn't come yesterday.
我没有买那本书。	Wǒ méiyǒu mǎi nà běn shū.	I didn't buy that book.

Common mistake: Never say 我没有吃了 or 没有买了. Drop 了 entirely when using 没有 to negate.

Pattern 3: 刚才 and 已经

Structure: 刚才 + S + V + 了 (just now) / S + 已经 + V + 了 (already)

刚才 (just now) refers to a moment very recently past, typically within the last few minutes. 已经 (already) emphasizes that something was completed before the current moment or expectation.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
刚才他来了，但你不在。	Gāngcái tā lái le, dàn nǐ bú zài.	He came just now, but you weren't here.
我已经吃了，不饿了。	Wǒ yǐjīng chī le, bù è le.	I've already eaten, I'm not hungry.
火车已经开走了。	Huǒchē yǐjīng kāi zǒu le.	The train has already left.
刚才发生了什么？	Gāngcái fāshēng le shénme?	What just happened?

Dialogue

A: 你刚才去哪儿了？我找了你好久。 Nǐ gāngcái qù nǎr le? Wǒ zhǎo le nǐ hǎo jiǔ. Where did you just go? I was looking for you for a long time.

B: 对不起，我去便利店买了点东西。 Duìbuqǐ, wǒ qù biànlì diàn mǎi le diǎn dōngxī. Sorry, I went to the convenience store to buy some things.

A: 会议已经开始了，老板问你去哪儿了。 Huìyì yǐjīng kāishǐ le, lǎobǎn wèn nǐ qù nǎr le. The meeting already started. The boss asked where you went.

B: 啊？我忘了今天有会议！你为什么没有告诉我？ À? Wǒ wàng le jīntiān yǒu huìyì! Nǐ wèishénme méiyǒu gàosù wǒ? What? I forgot there was a meeting today! Why didn't you tell me?

A: 我昨天发了短信，你没有看吗？ Wǒ zuótiān fā le duǎnxìn, nǐ méiyǒu kàn ma? I sent you a message yesterday. Didn't you see it?

B: 没有！我没有收到。快走吧！ Méiyǒu! Wǒ méiyǒu shōu dào. Kuài zǒu ba! No! I didn't receive it. Let's go quickly!

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank

Add 了 where needed, or 没有 to negate:

1. 我昨天 ______ 吃晚饭，不饿。(I ate dinner yesterday, I'm not hungry.)
2. 他 ______ 告诉我这件事。(He did not tell me about this.)
3. 你 ______ 完成作业了吗？(Did you already finish the homework?)
4. 她刚才 ______ 来，但是你不在。(She came just now but you weren't here.)
5. 我找 ______ 半个小时，还是没找到。(I searched for half an hour and still couldn't find it.)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

1. I already called him.
2. She didn't come to class yesterday.
3. What happened just now?
4. We completed the project last week.

Exercise 3: Answer in Chinese

1. 你今天早上吃了早饭吗？(Did you eat breakfast this morning?)
2. 你今天有没有忘带什么东西？(Did you forget to bring anything today?)
3. 昨天你做了什么有意思的事？(What interesting thing did you do yesterday?)

Cultural Note

In Chinese daily conversation, the question 你吃了吗 (Have you eaten?) is one of the most common greetings, particularly among older generations. It originated during times when food security was a real concern, and asking about eating was a genuine expression of care. Today it functions like asking "how are you?" rather than a literal inquiry about meals. If someone says this to you, a typical response is 吃了，你呢 (Yes, I have. And you?), not an actual account of your last meal.