omitting 'le'

[HashiriKata]

In an earlier post by Heifeng, a Chinese-speaker friend of her categorically confirmed that "le" cannot follow "mei (you) + verb". I think this is a rare exception in grammar in that it doesn't allow exceptions, and this is in itself worth noting. I'll add a few remarks to elaborate/ reinforce this fact, even if just for the benefit of beginning learners:

As we know, the very basic function of "le" is to indicate that something has happened or some change has occurred: 我吃了(I've eaten)，他走了(He's gone)，etc.

Consequently, when something does not happen or no change occurs (= "mei (you) + verb"), there should of course be no reason to use "le": 我没有吃饭(I haven't eaten)，他还没走呢 (He's still hasn't left yet)，etc.

This rule is, I would say, very logical!

But: not all negatives are without "le"!

First, to say "something does not happen" is not the same as to say "something stops happening", because the latter is in fact a change, and we're by rule required to mark such a change with "le", inspite of the negative in it: 我不抽烟了(I no longer smoke)， 我不学汉语了(I've stopped learning Chinese)，etc.

Secondly, sentences with "mei you" is not necessarily incompatible with "le", as long as such sentences convey some change of states：钱没有了！(We've run out of money!), 我就没有了！(I then will be no more!), etc.

[歐博思]

nipponman, it's hard to explain. If the question was 为什么你昨天晚上不打给我? Then, the answer "因为我去小高家了” would sound ok. Or, ”妈，我去玩了！“ would sound ok as well. But, 昨天晚上我去小高家玩了 by itself as a sentence just sounds incomplete.

"因为我去小高家了"

 

Does this signal that I'm still at Little Gao's house at the time of speaking? And if so would that make the sentence final 了 the "update information" particle, and we are speaking in the present?

 

If I were still at Little Gao's house, maybe the context would be "因为我去小高家了，他家里没有电话". But then again, how are we having a conversation about 'updating the information between us' if I'm still at Little Gao's house and he doesn't have a phone???!

 

So, I suppose that I am no longer at Little Gao's house, and in that case what would be the difference between:

1）因为我去小高家了

2）因为我去了小高家

 

 

 

 

 

Holy crap this thread is 10 years old