HSK 3
数量补语4（动词+时量补语）：表示动作持续的时间
shù liàng bǔ yǔ 4 （ dòng cí + shí liáng bǔ yǔ ） ： biǎo shì dòng zuò chí xù de shí jiān
Time-duration quantity complement
Explanation
This is a duration complement (complement - an element placed after the verb to add meaning; here it adds how long the action lasts). It has two meanings: (a) how long an action TAKES PLACE; (b) how long it has been since the action ENDED up to the present.
if the verb has no object (the target of the action): Verb + 了 (le) + duration (等了半个小时 děngle bàn ge xiǎoshí). If the verb has an object, there are three ways: (1) repeat the verb - Verb + object + Verb + 了 + duration (学中文学了两年); (2) place the duration before the object - Verb + 了 + duration + (的) + object (学了两年中文); (3) if the object is a pronoun (like 他 tā - him), place the duration after the pronoun (等了他半个多小时).
when saying how long something lasts, or how long it has been since something happened. For the meaning "how long it has been up to now", add 了 (le) at the end of the sentence: 来中国两个月了 (láile liǎng ge yuè le).
placing the duration BEFORE the verb in the Vietnamese way ("two years study"). This is wrong; the duration must come AFTER the verb. Learners also often forget to repeat the verb when the sentence has an object.
Examples
I have studied Chinese for two years now.
I have studied Chinese for two years.
I waited for him for more than half an hour.
I waited for him for more than half an hour.
He swam for forty minutes.
He swam for forty minutes.
【Er 52】Quantity complement 5 (verb + duration complement): indicates the interval of time from when the action ended to a certain point in time
They have been in China for two months now.
My older brother has been in Beijing for a week now.
My parents have been married for twenty years now.
Practice
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Learn “数量补语4（动词+时量补语）：表示动作持续的时间” effectively
The grammar point “数量补语4（动词+时量补语）：表示动作持续的时间” (Time-duration quantity complement) is one of the key structures at HSK 3. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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