Understanding Chinese Particles: 了 过 着 的 地 得

了 (le) — Completion and Change

了 has two main uses. After a verb, it indicates completed action: 我吃了 (I ate / I have eaten). At the end of a sentence, it signals a change of state: 下雨了 (It started raining / It's raining now). Sometimes both uses overlap, making 了 one of the trickiest particles in Chinese.

过 (guo) — Experience

过 indicates that something has been experienced at some point: 我去过中国 (I have been to China before). It differs from 了 in that 了 focuses on a specific completed event, while 过 emphasizes the life experience. 我吃了寿司 (I ate sushi — specific event) vs 我吃过寿司 (I have eaten sushi before — experience).

的/地/得 — The Three De

All three are pronounced "de" but serve different functions. 的 connects modifiers to nouns: 红的花 (red flower). 地 connects adverbs to verbs: 快地跑 (run quickly). 得 connects verbs to complements: 跑得快 (runs fast). A simple trick: 的 before nouns, 地 before verbs, 得 after verbs.