HSK 3

V + 了 + DURATION + O

V + le + DURATION + O

V'ed O for DURATION

Structure

Subject + Verb + 了 + Duration + Object

How it works

This grammar structure is used to express the duration of an ongoing action that has been completed or has occurred for a specific length of time. The 'le' follows the verb to indicate completion, while the duration must be placed before the object.

Examples

我昨天看了两个小时电视。

Wǒ zuótiān kànle liǎng gè xiǎoshí diànshì.

I watched TV for two hours yesterday.

他学了三年汉语。

Tā xuéle sān nián Hànyǔ.

He studied Chinese for three years.

我们游了一个小时泳。

Wǒmen yóule yí gè xiǎoshí yǒng.

We swam for an hour.

Common mistakes

Placing the duration at the end of the sentence (e.g., *我看了电视两个小时), which is incorrect in this specific structure.

Tip

If the object is a personal pronoun (like 'him' or 'me'), the structure changes to V + Pronoun + Duration. For regular nouns, always put the duration before the object.

More HSK 3 grammar

V 好一 + M + N + 也／都 + 不 + V 那 V1了就 V2 V 来／去 V somewhere 来／去 V O 来／去 V 来／去 O

See V + 了 + DURATION + O in real Chinese

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