了 (le): completion or change of state
了 (le) marks that an action is COMPLETED or a new situation has come about -- it is not a general past-tense marker. After the verb for a finished one-off event: 我昨天吃了晚饭。(Wǒ zuótiān chīle wǎnfàn.) -- I ate dinner yesterday. At the end of a clause for a change of state: 现在下雨了。(Xiànzài xià yǔ le.) -- It is raining now. 了 does NOT appear with habitual actions marked by 常常/每天/总是: 我每天七点起床。(Wǒ měitiān qī diǎn qǐchuáng.) -- I get up at seven every day (no 了).
过 (guo): a past experience, negated with 没
过 (guò) attaches after the verb to say an action has happened at least once at some unspecified past point -- a life experience, not a dated event. 我去过中国。(Wǒ qùguò Zhōngguó.) -- I have been to China. Negate with 没(有), never 不: 我没去过日本。(Wǒ méi qùguò Rìběn.) -- I have never been to Japan. Ask with 过 + 吗 or the 过没有 form: 你吃过中国菜吗？(Nǐ chīguò Zhōngguó cài ma?) -- Have you ever eaten Chinese food?
着 (zhe) = state; 在/正在 = happening now
着 (zhe) marks a state that continues (门开着。Mén kāizhe. -- The door is open) or an action continuing in the background while another happens (她坐着看书。Tā zuòzhe kànshū. -- She sits reading a book). 在/正在 (zài/zhèngzài) marks an action actually IN PROGRESS at the moment of speaking, often with sentence-final 呢: 我正在写作业呢。(Wǒ zhèngzài xiě zuòyè ne.) -- I am doing my homework right now. They combine: 他正在坐着看书呢。(Tā zhèngzài zuòzhe kànshū ne.)
Drawn from real examiner reports.
了 added to a habitual sentence
了 marks a completed one-off event or a change of state, not habitual repetition. ✗ 我每天七点起了床。(了 wrongly added -- this is a daily routine) ✓ 我每天七点起床。(Wǒ měitiān qī diǎn qǐchuáng.) -- I get up at seven every day. Whenever 常常/每天/总是 signals a habit, drop 了 entirely.
The most heavily documented grammar error across both sittings is 了 aspect-marker misuse, including 了 used in a present or habitual sentence where it does not belong (s23 P41 grammar list; s22).
Leaving out 了 for a completed action
A dated, one-off completed action needs 了 after the verb, even when a time word like 昨天 is already present. ✗ 我昨天去中国。(completed action left unmarked) ✓ 我昨天去了中国。(Wǒ zuótiān qùle Zhōngguó.) -- I went to China yesterday. Do not rely on the time word alone to carry completion.
A missed past-tense particle 了 where required is named at every Writing component, both sittings (s22, s23).
Confusing 了 (one event) with 过 (experience)
Use 过 for a general experience or a count of times in your life, 了 for one specific completed event. ✗ 我去了中国三次。(了 suggests one trip, not a repeated life experience) ✓ 我去过中国三次。(Wǒ qùguò Zhōngguó sān cì.) -- I have been to China three times. The same time-frame slip shows up in Speaking when a task cues past or future and the wrong frame is used.
Using the wrong time frame for a task that explicitly cues past or future is the single most common Speaking-grammar error (s22 Card 2, s22 Card 6, s23 Topic 5 Q3).
Negating 过 with 不 instead of 没
过 (past experience) is always negated with 没(有), never 不. ✗ 我不去过法国。(不 cannot negate 过) ✓ 我没去过法国。(Wǒ méi qùguò Fǎguó.) -- I have never been to France. 不 negates habits, future plans and willingness, so it never fits an experience with 过; the experience marker 过 stays in place after the verb and only 没 changes the polarity.
Stacking two aspect markers on one verb
A verb takes only ONE aspect marker at a time -- you cannot stack them. ✗ 他每天都在着看电视。(在 and 着 stacked, and a habit needs no marker at all) ✓ 他每天都看电视。(Tā měitiān dōu kàn diànshì.) -- He watches TV every day. Choose a single marker (了, 过, 着 or 在/正在) that fits the meaning, or none for a habit.
了 does not mean "past tense" always
了 marks COMPLETION or a change of state, not English past tense -- many true past-time sentences correctly take NO 了. ✗ 我以前常常去了那家餐厅。(常常 makes it habitual, so 了 is wrong) ✓ 我以前常常去那家餐厅。(Wǒ yǐqián chángcháng qù nà jiā cāntīng.) -- I used to often go to that restaurant. ✓ 我上个星期去了那家餐厅。-- one completed event, 了 correct. Time reference and aspect are two separate things in Chinese.
Check for a frequency word first
Before choosing an aspect marker, look for a frequency word like 常常/每天/总是. If one is there, the action is habitual and takes NO aspect marker at all -- this prevents the most common error, reaching for 了 by default: 我每天七点起床 (no 了).
了 for one event, 过 for experience
If there is no frequency word, ask: is it one specific completed event, often with a time word like 昨天? Use 了 after the verb. Is it a general life experience, "have you ever…"? Use 过, negated with 没(有): 我昨天去了中国 versus 我去过中国.
着 for a state, 在/正在 for right now
For something ongoing, decide: is it a continuing state or a background action alongside another? Use 着 (门开着; 她坐着看书). Is it happening at this exact moment? Use 在/正在, often closed with 呢: 我正在写作业呢。
This topic (Grammar & Sentence Structure, G3) covers the four core ASPECT markers that show HOW an action relates to time in Mandarin -- 了 (le, completion / change of state), 过 (guò, past experience), 着 (zhe, continuous state), and 在/正在 (zài/zhèngzài, progressive) -- plus how Chinese expresses completed versus habitual actions. It is tested across all four papers: listening/reading (recognising which aspect a sentence describes), writing (choosing the right marker for a diary entry, message or article), and speaking (keeping a consistent time frame across a role-play card or topic conversation).
Chinese verbs never change form for tense -- there is no equivalent of English "-ed" or "will". Instead, Chinese marks HOW an action unfolds (its aspect) using small particles attached to the verb, combined with time words (昨天, 现在, 以后) and context. Getting the aspect right -- not "translating English tense" -- is the actual skill:
How do you mark a COMPLETED one-off action in Chinese (not a general past tense)? Give the particle and use it in a sentence.
用中文写出四个体态助词（了、过、着、在/正在）各自的意思，并各写一个例句，标出拼音。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
请写一篇短文，说说你昨天做了什么，并提到一件你以前有没有做过的事情。短文里要写清楚以下几点：（1）你昨天具体做了什么，用「了」；（2）一件你以前有没有做过的事情，用「过」；（3）简单说说你的感受。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字。（8分）
请描述你现在在家里看到的情景。短文里要写清楚以下几点：（1）你自己正在做什么，用「正在……（呢）」；（2）房间里有什么东西处于某种状态，用「着」（例如门开着、灯开着）；（3）接下来你打算做什么。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字。（8分）
