Verb + 了 (+ Object)

了 (le) — completed action

了 placed right after a verb marks that the action is completed or happened — it's not a past-tense marker exactly, but at HSK 1 level it's easiest to think of it that way: 我吃了 (I ate / I've eaten). If there's an object with a number/measure word or a descriptive phrase, 了 usually goes after the whole verb phrase: 我买了两本书 (I bought two books). Negate a completed action with 没(有), and drop 了 entirely: 我没吃 (I didn't eat), never 我没吃了.

Examples

我吃了。
wǒ chī le
I've eaten.
他买了一件衣服。
tā mǎi le yí jiàn yī fu
He bought a piece of clothing.
我们看了一个电影。
wǒ men kàn le yí ge diàn yǐng
We watched a movie.

Common mistake

✗ Wrong: 我没吃了饭。

✓ Right: 我没吃饭。

了 and 没(有) don't appear together — 没 already signals that the action didn't happen, so 了 is dropped entirely in the negative.

Practice this pattern

Fill in the missing character:

我吃＿。

I've eaten.