Chinese Past Tense Questions with 吗 and 了: Asking 'Did you...?'
Learn to ask past tense questions in Mandarin using 吗 (ma) and 了 (le). Form 'Did you call him?' and similar questions with correct word order and time words.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Mandarin Chinese, there is no verb conjugation like 'did' in English. To ask a past tense question, you use the particle 吗 (ma) at the end of a statement, and often include 了 (le) to indicate completion. For example, 'Did you call him?' becomes 你给他打电话了吗？(Nǐ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà le ma?). This lesson teaches you how to form such questions using 吗 and 了, and how to answer them. You will also learn to use time words like 昨天 (zuótiān, yesterday) to make the past clear. By the end, you will be able to ask and answer simple past tense questions in Mandarin.
By the end, you can…
- form a past tense question by adding 吗 to a statement with 了.
- ask 'Did you...?' questions about common daily activities.
- answer past tense questions with 了 or 没有.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
你给他打电话了吗？
Did you call him?
Nǐ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà le ma?
Use this to ask if someone called a third person. 了 indicates the action is completed; 吗 makes it a question.
你吃早饭了吗？
Did you eat breakfast?
Nǐ chī zǎofàn le ma?
Ask about a completed action. 了 after the verb phrase shows completion.
你昨天看电影了吗？
Did you watch a movie yesterday?
Nǐ zuótiān kàn diànyǐng le ma?
Include a time word like 昨天 (yesterday) to specify the past. 了 still appears before 吗.
你找到钥匙了吗？
Did you find the keys?
Nǐ zhǎo dào yàoshi le ma?
Use 找到 (find) with 了 to ask about a completed result.
你给他发邮件了吗？
Did you send him an email?
Nǐ gěi tā fā yóujiàn le ma?
Another common action. 了 after the verb phrase indicates completion.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To form a past tense question in Mandarin, start with a statement that includes 了 (le) to show completion, then add 吗 (ma) at the end. The basic pattern is: Subject + Verb + 了 + 吗？ For example, 你吃了吗？(Nǐ chī le ma?) means 'Did you eat?' If there is an object, it comes after the verb: 你吃饭了吗？(Nǐ chī fàn le ma?). You can also include a time word like 昨天 (zuótiān, yesterday) at the beginning or after the subject: 你昨天吃饭了吗？(Nǐ zuótiān chī fàn le ma?). Note that 了 is not a past tense marker but a completion marker; it often implies past, but context and time words make the past clear.
When to use it
Use this pattern when you want to ask if someone did something in the past. It is common in everyday conversation. For example, if you want to know if your friend called someone, ask 你给他打电话了吗？(Nǐ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà le ma?). If you want to ask about a specific past time, include a time word: 你昨天晚上看电视了吗？(Nǐ zuótiān wǎnshang kàn diànshì le ma? - Did you watch TV last night?). To answer, you can say 了 for 'yes': 吃了 (chī le) or 没有 (méiyǒu) for 'no'. For negative answers, use 没有 and drop 了: 没有吃 (méiyǒu chī).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你昨天给他打电话了吗？
Did you call him yesterday?Nǐ zuótiān gěi tā dǎ diànhuà le ma?打了。我昨天下午打的。
Yes, I did. I called yesterday afternoon.Dǎ le. Wǒ zuótiān xiàwǔ dǎ de.你吃早饭了吗？
Did you eat breakfast?Nǐ chī zǎofàn le ma?没有。我还没吃呢。
No, I haven't eaten yet.Méiyǒu. Wǒ hái méi chī ne.A little context goes a long way
In Mandarin, the particle 了 (le) is used to indicate completion, not strictly past tense. It can appear in future contexts if completion is emphasized, but with time words like 昨天 (yesterday) it clearly refers to the past. When answering a past tense question, it is common to repeat the verb with 了 for 'yes' (e.g., 吃了) or use 没有 for 'no'. Avoid using 了 in negative answers; instead, use 没有 + verb. This is a key difference from English 'did not'.
One thing to watch for
Adding 了 in negative answers, e.g., 我没有吃了 (Wǒ méiyǒu chī le).
Try this instead: In negative past answers, use 没有 + verb without 了. For example, 'I didn't eat' is 我没有吃 (Wǒ méiyǒu chī). The particle 了 is not used with 没有 for past negation.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Did you drink coffee?' in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
你喝咖啡了吗？(Nǐ hē kāfēi le ma?)
This follows the pattern: Subject + Verb + Object + 了 + 吗. 了 indicates completion, and 吗 makes it a question. You could also say 你喝咖啡了没有？(Nǐ hē kāfēi le méiyǒu?) which is equally correct.
2Translate into Chinese: 'Did you watch a movie yesterday?'
Show a sample answer
你昨天看电影了吗？(Nǐ zuótiān kàn diànyǐng le ma?)
Include the time word 昨天 (yesterday) to specify the past. 了 after the verb phrase shows completion, and 吗 forms the question. Alternatively, you can place 昨天 after the subject: 你昨天看电影了吗？ is the same.
3What is the correct negative answer to '你吃早饭了吗？' (Did you eat breakfast?)
Show a sample answer
没有吃。(Méiyǒu chī.)
For negative past answers, use 没有 + verb without 了. 没有吃 means 'did not eat'. You can also say 还没吃 (hái méi chī) meaning 'haven't eaten yet'.
To ask 'Did you...?' in Mandarin, use a statement with 了 (le) and add 吗 (ma) at the end. Include time words like 昨天 to clarify the past. For negative answers, use 没有 + verb without 了.
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