I have more questions about 了

你自己说今天很懒，但是看来你还是很用功啊！佩服佩服。

I wish if there were clear-cut rules for the usage of “了”. I know I'm just asking for the moon.

With regard to 2a, I would thought a second 了 was NEEDED, given your translation. The second part of the sentence refers to an action completed in the past.

My interpretation of your sentence as it stands is "After I've made dinner, I'll help my brother." We are told that 了 is not necessarily a marker of past tense, and I think that this is one case where it is not. I think it is more like "past in the future".

I think 2b uses the same logic. However, in each case, I am wondering if another word needs to be added to indicate how the second part of the sentence relies on the completion of the first part - perhaps 就 (jiù). It still doesn't seem quite right to me as it stands.

Again, this is just me thinking out loud, and I could be way off base.

I just looked at some reference material, and you are right--的 can be omitted from this kind of sentence, but 是 cannot. I got mixed up there.

I think the sentence would be 我哥哥是从国回来的。 (I feel that 会 would not be right here because it would insert uncertainty into the sentence. Big brother did come back, so there isn't anything to be uncertain about.) I have the feeling that this sentence still isn't really right. It emphasizes where big brother came from, but I think the speaker probably meant to emphasize that big brother is back. I think 我哥哥是从国回来的 would be appropriate if the question was "Where did your brother fly back from?"

Any thoughts?

Regarding 3:

How about 马上就 (mǎshàng jiù)?

So: 狼马上就来了 (Láng mǎshàng jiù lái le)

[ Or did you actually mean 'Is there another word besides 了' ? ]

Regarding 4:

I'm not sure what is meant by that definition. But regarding your example, isn't 了 typically used with 就?

In 4a, I don't know if you would use a 了 in the first part of the sentence, as 'being sick' or 'becoming sick' is not a completed action. The reason you are not going to work is that you are still sick. However, it just sounds right, so I'm not sure. I'm also wondering if you should have used 不会去 in the second part of the sentence.

I'm not sure about 4b. Perhaps it would have been better to say 所以我没做 (suǒyǐ wǒ méi zuò). So perhaps someone can answer me the question, what is the difference between the use of 所以 and the use of 就 when you want to say 'as a result ...' ?

In 4c, should there be a 了 in the first part of the sentence?

Regarding 1b, if we inserted a 是:

我哥哥是从国会来的  (wǒ gēge shì cóng guóhuì lái de)

it would be correct, wouldn't it? Although perhaps 回来 (huílái) would be a better verb.

Can't be omit the 是 in the 是...的 pattern (or have I got that back to front?)

I get the feeling that 的 is not used so much to indicate past tense, but that it can only be used in past tense sentences as it indicates an attribute that is already held.

But I could be wrong about all this. I just went with my gut, and didn't look anything up.

5a looks good to me. I'm not sure if I'm right, but I kind of think this 了 has a meaning like 'but' or sometimes 'on the contrary'. Kind of like the German word 'doch', for those who know some German (except that it can't stand alone like doch).

So "But I'm satisfied now".

Actually, I'm wondering if the 现在 is needed in these sentences. Doesn't the了 sort of suggest that we are talking about 'now' ?

4a. I think that 了 might be okay. Here it serves a different function than the second 了. The 了 in 生病了 indicates that there has been a change in state. At any rate, it seems to me that when people say "I'm sick" they usually say 我生病了. I might be way of course, though.

了 [le]

1.  助词 [used after an action that has taken place or something that has changed]

我哥哥已经从国外回来了。
My brother has come back from abroad.
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1a.  We can also say "我哥哥从国外回来了," right? (right)。 “已经”usually indicates something has happened sooner than one would expect, It seems to me that 已经 have that meaning here.

1b.  我哥哥从国会来的=我哥哥是从国会来的（人）。I think it isn't a 是...的 pattern.
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2.   助词 [used for an anticipated or presupposed action]
等我吃了饭再去接你。
I'll pick you up after I finish my dinner.
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2a. I made dinner and then helped my little brother.  should be: 我做好饭以后，又帮了我弟弟。
2b. I got of class and then went home. should be: 我上完课以后就回家了。
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3.  助词 [indicating that something has happened or is about to happen]

狼来了。
A wolf is coming.
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3a. Is there any other verb besides 来 that can be used to indicate something is about to happen?
No any other verb.
But you can say: 要下雨了。车就要开了。就要....了  快要....了  can be used to indicate something is about to happen.
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4.  助词 [indicating a certain situation under certain conditions]

天气很冷，我今天就不去跑步了。
The weather is cold so I won't jog today.
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Are my examples okay?

4a. I'm sick so I won't go to work. could be: 我生病了，今天就不去上班了。There should be something like “今天” before "就”。

4b. You didn't tell me it, so I didn't do anything. Should be: 你没告诉我这件事，我就没有做。
4c. You told me about this, so I did it. should be: 你告诉过我这件事，所以我就做了。
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5.      助词 [indicating a change in one's understanding, idea, view or action]

5a. 我现在很满意了。 I'm satisfied now.  (There is “现在”， so the meaning doesn't significantly change if there is no 了). You can also say: 我很满意了。
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6.       助词 [indicating a request or a command]
Let's go. The train will leave soon.  Should be: 我们走吧，火车快开了。
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6a. This is your materials.  Take them. should be: 这是你的材料，你拿着。
6b. Say it.  Don't be quiet like this. Should be: 请说吧。不要这么安静。or 不要这么安静，说吧！
6c. Give me it.  should be: 把它给我。

jiaojie

I can't speak for xiaophil, but your reply creates more questions for me than it answers. If we are to understand these usages, we need to know WHY something works one way, and WHY it doesn't work the other way. Otherwise, we will only be able to reproduce set phrases, without being able to create variations.

I hope that in the newly promised Grammar Guide, CPod will spend a lot of effort explaining all the variations on the use of 了, accompanied by plenty of examples.

lujiaojie

前天我没看到你的帖子，谢谢你的帮助！

Not exactly. I wanted to know if there are any verbs other than 来 that can be used in conjunction with 了 to indicate something is about to happen. I just thought of one. 比赛开始了. Depending on the circumstances, this sentence could mean "the match is about to begin" or "the match has started". At least I think that is right.