indicating change over time
38.3No sentence final 了 le Sentence final 了 le
汽油很贵。 汽油很贵了。
汽油很貴。 汽油很貴了。
Qìyóu hěn guì. Qìyóu hěn guì le.
Gasoline is very expensive. Gasoline has become very expensive.我不喜欢吃肉。 我不喜欢吃肉了。
我不喜歡吃肉。 我不喜歡吃肉了。
Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī ròu. Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī ròu le.
I don’t like to eat meat. I don’t like to eat meat anymore.38.3 Indicating change over time
38.3.1 more and more of some situation
越来越 yuè lái yuè AV/SV/MV
more and more AV/SV/ MVThis pattern is used to indicate that something is becoming more and more adjectival verb (AV),
stative verb (SV), or modal verb (MV) over time.
Sentence final 了 le can optionally occur with this pattern to emphasize the sense of change
that the pattern conveys.‘more and more’ adjectival verb东西越来越贵(了)。
東西越來越貴(了)。
Dōngxi yuè lái yuè guì (le).
Things are getting more and more expensive.天气越来越冷(了)。
天氣越來越冷(了)。
Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng (le).
The weather is getting colder and colder.‘more and more’ stative verb他长大了，越来越懂事(了)。
他長大了，越來越懂事(了)。
Tā zhǎng dà le, yuè lái yuè dǒng shì (le).
He has grown up. More and more he knows how to behave.中国的生活，我越来越习惯了。
中國的生活，我越來越習慣了。
Zhōngguó de shēnghuó, wǒ yuè lái yuè xíguàn le.
(As for) life in China, I am getting used to it.‘more and more’ modal verb你越来越会做饭(了)。
你越來越會做飯(了)。
Nǐ yuè lái yuè huì zuò fàn (le).
You are getting better and better at cooking.他们越来越会说中文(了)。
他們越來越會說中文(了)。
Tāmen yuè lái yuè huì shuō Zhōngwén (le).
They are getting more and more proficient in speaking Chinese.