wǒ mǎi le yángròu.

I bought lamb.

Breakdown of wǒ mǎi le yángròu.

• 我wǒ: I
• 了le: perfective particle
• 买mǎi: to buy

Questions & Answers about wǒ mǎi le yángròu.

What does 了 (le) do in 我买了羊肉?

Here 了 is an aspect particle. It shows that the action of 买 has been completed.

So:

• 买 = buy / to buy
• 买了 = bought / completed the act of buying

A very important point: 了 does not simply equal the English past tense. It focuses on the action being done, not just on when it happened.

---

Does 了 always mean past tense?

No. That is one of the most common beginner misunderstandings.

In this sentence, 买了 will often be translated into English as bought, but 了 really marks completion, not past tense by itself.

For example:

• 我昨天买了羊肉。 = I bought mutton yesterday.
• 我明天买了再告诉你。 = I’ll tell you after I’ve bought it tomorrow.

So 了 can appear in sentences that are not purely “past tense” in the English sense. It is better to think of it as marking a completed event.

---

Why is 了 placed after 买 and before 羊肉?