Word: 了 (le, liǎo)

到底怎么了？

Dàodǐ zěnme le?

What on earth is the matter?

到底躲到哪里去了？

Dàodǐ duǒ dào nǎlǐ qùle?

Where in the world could it be hiding?

到我们该走的时候了。

Dào wǒmen gāi zǒu de shíhou le.

It's already time for us to go.

到谈话的时间了。

Dào tánhuà de shíjiān le.

It's time to talk.

前几天我看到了你哥哥。

Qián jǐtiān wǒ kàndàole nǐ gēge.

I saw your brother the other day.

前几天我见到了她。

Qián jǐtiān wǒ jiàndàole tā.

I saw her just the other day.

动物们都吃得够多了。

Dòngwùmen dōu chī de gòu duō le.

The animals already ate enough.

北京开始变冷了。

Běijīng kāishǐ biàn lěngle.

Beijing has started to get colder.

医生对你说了什么？

Yìshēng duì nǐ shuōle shénme?

What did the doctor say to you?

医生把东西给了她。

Yìshēng bǎ dōngxi gěi le tā.

The doctor gave it to her.

医生把他叫了回来。

Yìshēng bǎ tā jiàole huílai.

The doctor called him back.

医生把她的伤治好了。

Yìshēng bǎ tā de shāng zhì hǎole.

The doctor treated her injury.

医生检查了病人。

Yìshēng jiǎnchále bìngrén.

The doctor examined the patients.

医生治好了她的病。

Yìshēng zhì hǎole tā de bìng.

The doctor cured her of her disease.

医生立刻就到了。

Yìshēng lìkè jiù dàole.

The doctor came immediately.

医生给他的病人开了一些药。

Yìshēng gěi tā de bìngrén kāile yìxiē yào.

The physician prescribed his patient some medicine.

医生给您开了药。

Yìshēng gěi nín kāile yào.

The doctor has prescribed you medicine.

医生给我打了一针。

Yìshēng gěi wǒ dǎle yì zhēn.

The doctor gave me a shot.

十分钟以后，他就走了。

Shí fēnzhōng yǐhòu, tā jiù zǒule.

He left ten minutes later.

十年之后我看到了他。

Shínián zhīhòu wǒ kàndàole tā.

I saw him after ten years.

十年前他来到了中国。

Shínián qián tā láidàole Zhōngguó.

He arrived in China ten years ago.

南北战争持续了四年。

Nánběi zhànzhēng chíxùle sì nián.

America's Civil War lasted four years.

印度昨天发生了一场大地震。

Yìndù zuótiān fāshēngle yìcháng dà dìzhèn.

A big earthquake occurred in India yesterday.

去年下了很多雪。

Qùnián xià le hěn duō xuě.

We had a lot of snow last year.

去年他换了学校。

Qùnián tā huàn le xuéxiào.

He changed schools last year.

去年她从高中毕业了。

Qùnián tā cóng gāozhōng bìyè le.

She graduated from high school last year.

去年她离开了日本。

Qùnián tā líkāile Rìběn.

She was out of Japan last year.

去年我从高中毕业了。

Qùnián wǒ cóng gāozhōng bìyè le.

I graduated from high school last year.

又发生了，是吧？

Yòu fāshēngle, shì ba?

It's happened again, hasn't it?

又过了一天了。

Yòu guò le yì tiān le.

Another day gone by.

发动机出问题了吗？

Fādòngjī chū wèntí le ma?

Is there a problem with the motor?

发生了什么事吗？

Fāshēngle shénme shì ma?

Did something happen?

变成了绿色。

Biànchéngle lǜsè.

It turned green.

只剩下两天了。

Zhǐ shèngxià liǎng tiān le.

There's only two days left.

只有个别人才懂了我的意思。

Zhǐyǒu gèbié réncái dǒngle wǒ de yìsi.

Only a few people understood me.

只有你回答了这个问题。

Zhǐyǒu nǐ huídále zhège wèntí.

Only you answered the question.

只有六人出席了会议。

Zhǐyǒu liù rén chūxíle huìyì.

There were only six people at the meeting.

只有少数的人才懂了我的意思。

Zhǐyǒu shǎoshù de réncái dǒngle wǒ de yìsi.

Only a few people understood me.

只要他怎么做就怎么做就好了。

Zhǐyào tā zěnme zuò jiù zěnme zuò jiù hǎole.

Just imitate what he does.

可以这样说，但是太不文明了。

Kěyǐ zhèyàng shuō, dànshì tài bù wénmíng le.

You could say it that way, but it's quite vulgar.

可是太贵了！

Kěshì tài guìle!

But it's too expensive!

吃了早餐以后，我要去健身房。

Chīle zǎocān yǐhòu, wǒ yào qù jiànshēnfáng.

After eating breakfast, I'm going to go to the gym.

吃了这种药15分钟以后就会有效果。

Chīle zhèzhǒng yào shíwǔ fēnzhōng yǐhòu jiù huì yǒu xiàoguǒ.

This medicine takes effect in fifteen minutes.

吃完饭，大家都很累了。

Chī wán fàn, dàjiā dōu hěn lèile.

After eating the meal, everyone is tired.

吃饭了吗？

Chīfànle ma?

Have you eaten?

吃饭了没有？

Chīfànle méiyǒu?

Have you eaten yet?

吃饭时间到了。

Chīfàn shíjiān dàole.

Time for dinner.

各种规定让他失去了自由。

Gèzhǒng guīdìng ràng tā shīqùle zìyóu.

All kinds of rules made him lose his freedom.

听好了，不加税！

Tīng hǎole, bù jiā shuì!

Read my lips, no new taxes!

听着，我要跑了。

Tīngzhe, wǒ yào pǎole.

Listen, I've got to run.

听说他又开始找工作了。

Tīngshuō tā yòu kāishǐ zhǎo gōngzuòle.

I hear he's just begun looking for another job.

听说他父亲去了外国。

Tīngshuō tā fùqīn qùle wàiguó.

I hear that his father is in another country.

听说你儿子参与了学生运动。

Tīngshuō nǐ érzi cānyùle xuésheng yùndòng.

Your son took part in the student movement, I hear.

听说你病了。

Tīngshuō nǐ bìng le.

I hear you have been sick.

听说你要结婚了。

Tīngshuō nǐ yào jiéhūnle.

I heard you are going to get married.

听说她结婚了。

Tīngshuō tā jiéhūnle.

I heard from someone that she got married.

告诉他们我们要来了。

Gàosu tāmen wǒmen yào láile.

Tell them we're coming.

告诉他我病了。

Gàosu tā wǒ bìng le.

Tell him I'm sick.

告诉她我们去了哪里。

Gàosu tā wǒmen qùle nǎlǐ.

Tell her where we've gone.

告诉我他说了什么。

Gàosu wǒ tā shuōle shénme.

Tell me what he said.

告诉我们发生了什么事。

Gàosu wǒmen fāshēngle shénme shì.

Tell us about what happened.

告诉我你在湘南做了什么。

Gàosu wǒ nǐ zài Xiāng Nán zuòle shénme.

Tell me what you did in Shounan.

告诉我你多大了。

Gàosu wǒ nǐ duō dàle.

Tell me how old you are.

告诉我你如何解决了这个问题。

Gàosu wǒ nǐ rúhé jiějuéle zhège wèntí.

Tell me how you solved the problem.

告诉我你对湘南做了什么。

Gàosu wǒ nǐ duì Xiāng Nán zuòle shénme.

Tell me what you did to Shounan.

告诉我发生了什么事。

Gàosu wǒ fāshēngle shénme shì.

Tell me what happened.

呼吸变得困难了。

Hūxī biànde kùnnan le.

Breathing has become difficult.

和以前相比，已经进步了很多。

Hé yǐqián xiāngbǐ, yǐjīng jìnbù le hěn duō.

It has greatly improved compared with what it was.

咱们已经花了很久时间了。

Zánmen yǐjīng huāle hěn jiǔ shíjiān le.

We've already spent a lot of time on this.

哪一支队伍赢了比赛并不重要。

Nǎ yìzhī duìwǔ yíngle bǐsài bìng bú zhòngyào.

Which team won the match really isn't important.

啊，我们没有糖了。

A, wǒmen méiyǒu táng le.

Ah, we have run short of sugar.

啊，我病了。

A, wǒ bìng le.

Oh, I'm sick.

因为它太大了。

Yīnwèi tā tài dàle.

It's because it's too big.

因为那个原因，他失去了工作。

Yīnwèi nàge yuányīn, tā shīqùle gōngzuò.

For that reason, he lost his job.

国王统治了这个国家。

Guówáng tǒngzhìle zhège guójiā.

The king governed the country.

在父亲回家之前，我已经睡了。

Zài fùqīn huíjiā zhīqián, wǒ yǐjīng shuìle.

I slept before my father came home.

在“狼来了”的这个故事中，最后当这个男孩真正遇到危险时，再也没人愿意相信他了。

Zài“láng láile”de zhège gùshi zhōng, zuìhòu dāng zhège nánhái zhēnzhèng yùdào wēixiǎn shí, zàiyě méi rén yuànyì xiāngxìn tā le.

In the story of the boy who cried wolf, when in the end he encountered real danger, no-one would believe him.

在这时候，他到了。

Zài zhè shíhou, tā dàole.

At this point, he arrived.

在这期间，情况发生了巨大变化。

Zài zhè qījiān, qíngkuàng fāshēngle jùdà biànhuà.

Meanwhile, the circumstances have changed drastically.

在这次考试中我犯了几个错误。

Zài zhècì kǎoshì zhōng wǒ fànle jǐ ge cuòwù.

I made several mistakes in the exam.

地球出现了。

Dìqiú chūxiànle.

Earth appeared.

坐在我旁边的男人跟我说话了。

Zuò zài wǒ pángbiān de nánrén gēn wǒ shuōhuàle.

The man sitting next to me spoke to me.

士兵们准备好要战斗了。

Shìbīngmen zhǔnbèi hǎo yào zhàndòule.

The soldiers are ready for battle.

士兵们占领了这个建筑。

Shìbīngmen zhànlǐngle zhège jiànzhù.

The soldiers occupied the building.

士兵给了我水。

Shìbīng gěi le wǒ shuǐ.

The soldier gave water to me.

夏天很快过去了。

Xiàtiān hěn kuài guòqù le.

The summer was over in no time.

夏天过去了。

Xiàtiān guòqù le.

The summer is over.

外交谈判帮助结束了冲突。

Wàijiāo tánpàn bāngzhù jiéshùle chōngtū.

Diplomatic dialogue helped put an end to the conflict.

多少年过去了。

Duōshǎo nián guòqù le.

Years passed.

大家都哭了，就我没哭。

Dàjiā dōu kūle, jiù wǒ méi kū.

Everyone cried except me.

大家都要结婚了吗？

Dàjiā dōu yào jiéhūnle ma?

Is everybody getting married?

天暗了下来。

Tiān àn le xiàlai.

The sky turned dark.

天暗后他们到了酒店。

Tiān àn hòu tāmen dàole jiǔdiàn.

They got to the hotel after dark.

天气很冷，我们生起了火。

Tiānqì hěn lěng, wǒmen shēng qǐle huǒ.

It was cold, so we lit a fire.

天气转好了。

Tiānqì zhuǎn hǎole.

The weather turned better.

太久了，我们不能再等。

Tài jiǔle, wǒmen bùnéng zài děng.

It's been too long -- we can't wait any more.

太晚了，机票都买不到了。

Tài wǎn le, jīpiào dōu mǎi búdàole.

It's too late - we won't be able to buy plane tickets now.

太暗了我无法读。

Tài àn le wǒ wúfǎ dú.

It is too dark for me to read.

太暗了，看不清楚。

Tài àn le, kàn bù qīngchu.

It is too dark to see clearly.

太棒了！

Tài bàng le!

Fantastic!