VERB IN CONTEXT

原谅

yuánliàng

to forgive; to excuse; to pardon

In context

废除死刑是原谅杀人犯。
Fèichú sǐxíng shì yuánliàng shārénfàn.
To abolish the death penalty is to excuse murder.
原谅我不能陪你去北京。
Yuánliàng wǒ bù néng péi nǐ qù Běijīng.
Forgive me for not being able to go with you to Beijing.
我失态了,请原谅。
Wǒ shītài le, qǐng yuánliàng.
I forgot my manners. Please forgive me.
Time, aspect & negatives

Time & aspect: general patterns

The form of 原谅 does not change for “I”, “you”, past or future. These comparison examples use 学习 (study), 吃 (eat) and 开 (open) to show how Mandarin expresses time and aspect. They are general models, not forms of 原谅.

Mandarin uses time expressions and context for when, and aspect markers for how an event or state unfolds. There is no single set of verb endings equivalent to all English tenses.

For 原谅

The pattern must fit the meaning of 原谅. Some verbs describe states, brief events or special constructions, so the markers below are not interchangeable additions.

Present & habitual

Time or frequency + verb

Context can describe the present or a routine. A word such as 每天 makes the repeated time clear; the verb keeps the same form.

General pattern · 学习

我每天学习中文。

Wǒ měitiān xuéxí Zhōngwén.

I study Chinese every day.

Past time

Past time expression + verb

A past time expression can locate a situation without a past-tense ending. 了 is not required in every sentence about the past.

General pattern · 学习

去年我在北京学习。

Qùnián wǒ zài Běijīng xuéxí.

Last year I studied in Beijing.

Future & plans

Future time + intention or prediction

A future time word can establish when something will happen. 打算 expresses a plan; 会 can express a prediction. They are not universal future-tense endings.

General pattern · 学习

明天我打算学习中文。

Míngtiān wǒ dǎsuàn xuéxí Zhōngwén.

I plan to study Chinese tomorrow.

Completed event · 了

Verb + 了 + object

了 can present an event as realized or bounded. To say that a task is finished, a result word such as 完 may also be needed. 了 does not simply mean “past”.

General pattern · 吃

我吃了一个苹果。

Wǒ chī le yí ge píngguǒ.

I ate an apple.

Past experience · 过

Verb + 过 + object

过 marks having had an experience before. It does not function like every English “have + past participle” construction.

General pattern · 吃

我吃过这个菜。

Wǒ chī guo zhège cài.

I have tried this dish before.

Action in progress · 正在

Subject + 正在 + action

正在 places you in the middle of an activity. A past or future time expression can move that viewpoint to another time. Ordinary possession and other states need a different pattern.

General pattern · 学习

我正在学习中文。

Wǒ zhèngzài xuéxí Zhōngwén.

I am studying Chinese right now.

Continuing state · 着

Suitable verb + 着

着 can describe a state that continues, such as a door remaining open. It is not interchangeable with 正在 and does not fit every verb.

General pattern · 开

教室的门开着。

Jiàoshì de mén kāi zhe.

The classroom door is open.

New situation · 了

New situation + sentence-final 了

Sentence-final 了 can signal that the situation is different now. This use can describe a present change rather than a past event.

General pattern · 吃

我现在不吃肉了。

Wǒ xiànzài bù chī ròu le.

I no longer eat meat.

Negative statements

不 or 没(有), according to meaning

不 often denies a habit or intention. 没(有) can deny that an event happened; completed-event 了 is normally removed. To deny possession, 有 becomes 没有.

General pattern · 吃

我不吃肉。

Wǒ bù chī ròu.

I do not eat meat.

General pattern · 吃

我昨天没吃早饭。

Wǒ zuótiān méi chī zǎofàn.

I did not eat breakfast yesterday.

Continue with 了, 过, or actions in progress.

Grammar references & example notes

These are original teaching examples. Pinyin shows common spoken tone changes for 一 and 不; third-tone combinations keep their dictionary marks. The guide covers common contrasts, not every construction or every sense of a verb.

Try to recall it

Recall the verb meaning “to forgive; to excuse; to pardon”. Type its simplified characters without looking at the heading.

Meaning and word pinyin adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki. In-context examples are adapted from the same dictionary entry. Time-and-aspect examples are original teaching material. Dictionary adaptations and original teaching examples are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Simplified script and display formatting may be normalized. Data and review notes.

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