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CLO_153: You can do your homework now

Dialogue: Numbers
A: Lao3shi1, wo3de kao3shi4 xie3 wan2 le.
B: Hen3 hao3. Ni3 hen3 cong1ming2.
A: Wo3 ke3yi3 gen1 bie2de tong2xue2 liao2tian1 ma?
B: Bu4 xing2! Hai2you3 ren2 hai2mei2 xie3 wan2. Suo3yi3 ni3 yao4 an1jing4 yi1dian3 rang4 ta1men zhuan1xin1 xie3 wan2.
A: Na4 wo3 xian4zai4 ying1gai1 zuo4 shen2me?
B: Ni3 xian4zai4 ke3yi3 xian1 xie3 ni3de hui2jia1 gong1ke4, zhe4 yang4 ni3 jin1tian1 wan3shang4 jiu4 ke3yi3 zoa3 yi1dian3 xiu1xi2 le.
A: Hao3, wo3 zhi1dao4 le.

Dialogue: Tone Marks
A: Lǎoshī, wǒde kǎoshì xiě wán le.
B: Hěn hao. Nǐ hěn cōngmíng.
A: Wǒ kěyǐ gēn biéde tóngxué liáotiān ma?
B: Bù xíng! Háiyǒu rén háiméi xiě wán. Suǒyǐ nǐ yào ānjìng yīdiǎn ràng tāmen zhuānxīn xiě wán.
A: Nà wǒ xiànzài yīnggāi zuò shénme?
B: Nǐ xiànzài kěyǐ xiān xiě nǐde huíjiā gōngkè, zhè yàng nǐ jīntiān wǎnshàng jiù kěyǐ zǎo yīdiǎn xiūxi le.
A: Hǎo, wǒ zhīdào le.

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3 Responses to “CLO_153: You can do your homework now”

graham simmons Says:

Hi, a couple of questions:

1) “Wo ganggang yijing zuo le yige xiaoshi de gongke le.” is translated as “I already just did an hour of homework.”
This seems to suggest that he has finished doing his homework now; but don’t the 2 “le”s imply that he is still doing it ? Shouldn’t the translation be : “I have already been doing homework for an hour.” or am I being pedantic ?

2) “Wo zuotian jiu yijing you kan yixie shu le.”
I’m not sure what meaning the “you” adds. Is it to be understood in the same way as the English “have” (as in past tense) ? Does it indicate the past ? Does “Wo zuotian jiu yijing kan yixie shu le” have exactly the same meaning ?

I’ve come across this before, as in “Ni you jianguo ma…” ( “have you ever met…” ) …. is there any difference in usage between the two sentences ?

Thanks for a great site, Adam .
Adam Says:

Hi Graham,

Great questions!

1. Le usually indicates a change of situation. So in the homework example it suggests that he was doing the homework and now (thanks to the le) the situation has changed so he can stop.

2. Yes, thinking of yǒu as the English “have” is a good way to look at it. Taiwanese use it a lot to indicate past tense, whereas in China they are more likely to use the non yǒu version. So to answer your question, it’s the same meaning - just a different style of talking. In later lessons, we reduce the usage of yǒu in this form, to give you experience with both versions.
graham simmons Says:

Thanks, Adam. All is now clear !