Duration complement: V+了+time
A duration complement says how long an action lasted and goes after the verb with 了. With no object you say 等了两个小时, and with an object you repeat the verb, as in 学汉语学了五年, or put the time before the object.
No object: Subject + V + 了 + Duration
- 我等了两个小时。(I waited two hours.)
With object (two patterns):
1. S + V + O + V + 了 + Duration → 我学汉语学了三年。
2. S + V + 了 + Duration + 的 + O → 我学了三年的汉语。
Ongoing duration (still happening): add 了 at end:
- 我学汉语学了三年了。(I've been studying Chinese for three years and still am.)
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我们等了将近一个小时，才等到座位。 | Wǒ men děng le jiāng jìn yī gè xiǎo shí, cái děng dào zuò wèi. | We waited nearly an hour before getting a seat. | No object: V+了+Duration; 才 = only then (emphasises the wait) |
| 他学汉语学了五年了，说得非常流利。 | Tā xué hàn yǔ xué le wǔ nián le, shuō de fēi cháng liú lì. | He's been studying Chinese for five years (and still is); he speaks very fluently. | Ongoing: V O V了 Duration 了 — the final 了 signals the action continues |
| 她在那家公司工作了将近十年才辞职。 | Tā zài nà jiā gōng sī gōng zuò le jiāng jìn shí nián cái cí zhí. | She worked at that company for nearly ten years before quitting. | Intransitive verb: 工作+了+Duration; 才 introduces the subsequent event |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
了 (le)
Sits after the verb to mark the action as finished, followed by the length of time it lasted.
Structure: subject + V + 了 + time length
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我在这个城市住了三年。 | Wǒ zài zhè ge chéng shì zhù le sān nián. | I lived in this city for three years. |
| 他睡了八个小时。 | Tā shuì le bā ge xiǎo shí. | He slept for eight hours. |
| 会议开了两个小时。 | Huì yì kāi le liǎng ge xiǎo shí. | The meeting lasted two hours. |
Not: 我等你了两个小时。 A pronoun object comes between 了 and the duration: 我等了你两个小时。
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, particles (动态助词); level 1, particles (语气助词).
了 is also explained in: 了: Completion and Change of State (HSK 1).
的 (de)
Links the duration to a noun object in the pattern V + 了 + time + 的 + object.
Structure: V + 了 + duration + 的 + object
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我昨天看了两个小时的电视。 | Wǒ zuó tiān kàn le liǎng ge xiǎo shí de diàn shì. | I watched television for two hours yesterday. |
| 她练了半年的钢琴。 | Tā liàn le bàn nián de gāng qín. | She practised the piano for half a year. |
| 他睡了十个小时的觉。 | Tā shuì le shí ge xiǎo shí de jiào. | He slept for ten hours. |
Not: 我学了汉语三年。 The duration cannot follow the object; say 学了三年汉语 or 学汉语学了三年。
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 1, particles (结构助词); level 2, particles (语气助词).
的 is also explained in: 的 for Possession and Modification (HSK 1) · Sentence-final Particles: 啊、吧、的 (HSK 2) · Verbal Phrases as Subject, Object & Modifier (HSK 3).
Compared side by side: 学了三年 vs 学了三年了.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Duration complement among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Duration complement
What does 时量补语 (Duration complement) mean in Chinese?
A duration complement says how long an action lasted and goes after the verb with 了. With no object you say 等了两个小时, and with an object you repeat the verb, as in 学汉语学了五年, or put the time before the object. It is an HSK 4 grammar point.
How do you use 时量补语 (Duration complement) in a sentence?
我们等了将近一个小时，才等到座位。 — Wǒ men děng le jiāng jìn yī gè xiǎo shí, cái děng dào zuò wèi. — We waited nearly an hour before getting a seat. No object: V+了+Duration; 才 = only then (emphasises the wait).
What do you need to know before 时量补语 (Duration complement)?
了 (HSK 4), Duration & Frequency Complements (HSK 3). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 时量补语 (Duration complement) lead to?
Complement types (HSK 4). Each of them names 时量补语 (Duration complement) among its own prerequisites.
What is the difference between 学了三年 and 学了三年了?
学了三年 says it lasted three years, and may be finished. 学了三年了 says three years so far and still going.
How do I ask how long?
Use 多长时间 or 多久: 你学了多长时间？ For the object, 你学汉语学了多久？
Duration complement is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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