3 · Complements after the verb
How long, with an object
duration and the object
A length of time goes after the verb; with an object as well, say the verb twice or put the time before the object.
How long an action lasts is said after the verb, not before it: 我等了半个小时, “I waited half an hour”. The difficulty starts when the verb also has an object, because the verb can only have one thing directly after it.
With a thing as object there are two solutions. Say the verb twice — once with the object, once with the time: 我学汉语学了两年. Or put the time in front of the object, often with 的, so that it describes the object: 我学了两年的汉语, literally “I studied two years’ Chinese”. The English order, object and then time, is the one that does not work.
A person as object behaves differently: it comes straight after the verb, and the time follows. 我等了他半个小时, “I waited for him for half an hour”. With verbs of a single moment — 来, 到, 毕业, 结婚 — the time counts from that moment and comes after the object: 他来中国三年了, “he has been in China for three years”.
A 了 at the end of the sentence makes all the difference. 我学了两年 is a closed chapter; 我学了两年了 means the learning is still going on — the English “have been learning for two years”. For how long something has not happened, the time moves before 没: 我三天没见他了.
The form
| time after the verb | 我等了二十分钟。 |
| say the verb twice | 他学汉语学了两年。 |
| time before the object, with de | 他学了两年的汉语。 |
| a person as object | 我等了他半个小时。 |
| still going on: two le | 我学汉语学了两年了。 |
| time since something happened | 他来北京三年了。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The length of time stands after the verb, not before it.
昨天我睡了十个小时。I slept for ten hours yesterday.
With a thing as object, say the verb twice or put the time before the object.
她弹钢琴弹了一个小时。She played the piano for an hour.
A person as object goes before the time.
我找了你一上午。I have been looking for you all morning.
With verbs of a single moment, the time counts from that moment and comes after the object.
他们结婚五年了。They have been married for five years.
For how long something has not happened, the time comes before 没.
我好几天没看见他了。I haven't seen him for several days.
A closer look
One le or two
With one 了 after the verb, the period is over: 我在北京住了两年, “I lived in Beijing for two years” — and then moved away. Add a second 了 at the end and the period reaches up to now: 我在北京住了两年了, “I have been living in Beijing for two years”.
To ask how long, use 多长时间 or the shorter 多久 in the same place as the answer: 你等了多久？ For a short, unspecified time, 一会儿 fills the slot: 等一会儿, “wait a moment”.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the object is a pronoun
it always stands before the time; the pattern with 的 is impossible.
我认识她十年了。I have known her for ten years.
A time phrase with 的 describes the noun after it, and a pronoun cannot be described that way.
How to spot it
- 了…年
- …小时
- 多长时间
- 多久
Example sentences
我在车站等了你四十分钟！I waited forty minutes for you at the station!
他开车开了一整天，很累。He drove all day and is very tired.
我学了三年的汉语。I studied Chinese for three years.
你学汉语学了多长时间了？How long have you been learning Chinese?
我姐姐大学毕业两年了。My older sister graduated from university two years ago.
他三个月没给家里打电话了。He hasn't phoned home for three months.
7 more example sentences
我每天跑步跑半个小时。I run for half an hour every day.
他在上海住了五年。He lived in Shanghai for five years.
我们聊了一个晚上的天。We chatted all evening.
她看了两个小时的电视。She watched television for two hours.
你等我一会儿，我马上来。Wait for me a moment — I'll be right there.
这个问题我想了很久。I thought about this question for a long time.
他来中国半年了，已经习惯了。He has been in China for six months and is used to it now.
Worth knowing (1)
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A whole morning, a whole evening
一上午, 一个晚上 and 一整天 after a verb mean “all morning”, “all evening”, “the whole day” — usually with a note of complaint about how long it took.
我忙了一上午，还没吃饭呢。I have been busy all morning and still haven't eaten.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English puts the time at the very end, after the object: “I studied Chinese for two years”. In Chinese the time has to touch the verb. Either say the verb again after the object, or move the time in front of the object: 我学了两年汉语.
Time comes after the verb; if a thing is in the way, say the verb again or put the time in front of the thing.
Your turn
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