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Mandarin Completed Action — 了

Ninth graders learn one of Mandarin’s most important grammar words — the particle 了 (le), which marks a completed action. Chinese has no past tense; 了 does the job. 我吃了饭 = “I ate.”

Grade 9了 (Le)55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the particle 了.
  • ✓Mark completed actions.
  • ✓Tell it from the plain verb.
  • ✓Talk about the past.
Essential Question

Chinese verbs never change form — so how do you say something already happened? Meet the particle 了 (le).

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The 了 (Le) Check

Project each item and have students answer about the completed-action particle 了.

✅ Understand the particle 了 (le)Try it
Answer each question about the particle 了 (le).
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — No Past Tense?

6 min

Chinese verbs never change — so how do you say something happened? Meet 了.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “I ate.”
  • Ask how Chinese does it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — 了 (Le)

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to The 了 Check.
  • Note 了 = completed.
  • Compare with/without 了.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Add 了 to a sentence.
  • Say it completed.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Add it.
  • Say it.
  • Say.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “我去了…”
  • Say what you did.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what 了 marks.
  • Give an example.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Give one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Low).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand 了.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare tense and aspect.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to grammar.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: narrate the past.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • With/without 了 cards.
  • Sentence frame: “我 ___ 了.”
  • Use paired examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with one verb + 了.
  • Use one clear example.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add 已经 (already).
  • Write three 了 sentences.
  • Explain aspect vs tense.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ✅Example cards
  • 💻The 了 Check
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

了 (le)completed-action particle吃了 (chī le)ate去了 (qù le)went完成 (wánchéng)to complete过去 (guòqù)past已经 (yǐjīng)already动作 (dòngzuò)action语法 (yǔfǎ)grammar
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does the particle 了 (le) usually mark?
A completed action — something that has happened.
QUESTION 2
What does “我吃了饭” mean?
I ate / I have eaten.
QUESTION 3
How does “我吃饭” change when you add 了?
It becomes completed: “I ate.”

Reflect: 了.

Have students turn “我去学校” (I go to school) into the completed “我去了学校” (I went to school). A printable 了 sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Mandarin Completed Action (了 Le)Flip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Mandarin Completed Action (了 Le)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Mandarin Completed Action (了 Le)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 了 (le), 动作 (dòngzuò), 去了 (qù le), 吃了 (chī le), 完成 (wánchéng), 已经 (yǐjīng), 语法 (yǔfǎ), 过去 (guòqù)
  1. went
  2. grammar
  3. already
  4. past
  5. action
  6. ate
  7. completed-action particle
  8. to complete

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does the particle 了 (le) usually mark?
  2. What does “我吃了饭” mean?
  3. How does “我吃饭” change when you add 了?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 去了 (qù le) · 2) 语法 (yǔfǎ) · 3) 已经 (yǐjīng) · 4) 过去 (guòqù) · 5) 动作 (dòngzuò) · 6) 吃了 (chī le) · 7) 了 (le) · 8) 完成 (wánchéng)
Part B: 1) A completed action — something that has happened. 2) I ate / I have eaten. 3) It becomes completed: “I ate.”