<blockquote>
  <p>V+了+object requires the object to have specified quantity</p>
</blockquote>

<p>No, it is wrong. </p>

<p>The following sentences are all legitimate:</p>

<p>我买了苹果 = I bought apple (not mentioning how many)</p>

<p>我买了两个苹果 = I bought two apples (stating the quantity)</p>

<p>我买了酒 = I bought alcoholic drink (not mentioning how much, not even what kind) </p>

<p>我买了三瓶白酒 = (I bought three bottles of white wine)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/460/" rel="noreferrer">http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/460/</a></p>
  
  <p>[1] [aspect marker] indicating completed action</p>
  
  <p>[2] [final particle] indicating change of situation</p>
  
  <p>In all the examples above, 了 is a aspect marker that indicates the action (verb) is completed</p>
</blockquote>

<p>~</p>

<p>我买了苹果了 = I bought apple </p>

<p>我买了两个苹果了 = I bought two apples </p>

<p>我买了酒了 = I bought alcoholic drink (not mentioning how much, not even what kind) </p>

<p>我买了三瓶白酒了 = I bought three bottles of white wine</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In all four examples above, the second 了 at the end is a final particle. It serves to emphasize the fact and stress an affirmative tone. </p>
  
  <p>Your teacher said it is colloquial because we do use final particles mainly in speech, but it doesn't mean we don't use it in writing. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>~</p>

<p>我去买苹果(了) = I go to buy apple</p>

<p>我去买酒(了)  = I go to buy wine</p>

<p>*You can add final particle 了 to the two examples above (了 stress an affirmative tone - <em>seriously, I am going to buy apple/ wine</em>)*</p>

<p>~</p>

<p>我买两个苹果 = I buy two apples</p>

<p>我买三瓶白酒 = I buy three bottles of wine </p>

<p><em>You shouldn't add final particle 了 to the two examples above because they are plain factual statements</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-03T01:59:24.783Z
2018-12-03T02:06:21.400Z
2018-12-03T02:06:21.400Z
Tang Ho
<p>我买了苹果了 doesn't sound natural to me. </p>

<p>I prefer 我买苹果了 in response to the question 你买什么了?, and 我买了苹果 to 你买了什么?.</p>

<p>If the question asks numbers 你买了几个苹果，then 我买了两个苹果 is appropriate. 我买两个苹果了 doesn't sound natural.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-02T23:41:45.483Z
2018-12-02T23:41:45.483Z
dan
<p>It looks to me that it is 我买了苹果了 which is colloquial. The meanings of the examples you give are</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我买了两个苹果：I have bought two apples</p>
<p>我买了苹果了：I have already bought apple(s)</p>
<p>我<strong>买</strong>苹果了：I have already bought apple(s)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The boldface indicates stress.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-02T18:01:33.090Z
2018-12-02T18:01:33.090Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
zyy
<p>So I am having a bit of a confusion with the use of 了. So the teacher gave me a sentence which is this: 
我买了两个苹果。
She said that V+了+object requires the object to have specified quantity. After that she gave this sentence:
我买了苹果了
She said that if the object have no specified quantity or information there need to be a 了 after it. I ask her if “我买苹果了” is correct or not and she said it is true colloquially which really baffled me.
Can someone tell me where to put 了 in a sentence that have objects but have unspecified quantity (like the one above)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-02T15:49:04.727Z
Acceptable: 我买了苹果, 我买苹果了, 我买了两个苹果; not work: 我买两个苹果了, 我买了苹果了.
xbh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-02T20:43:26.450Z
"if the object have no specified quantity or information there need to be a 了 after it" sounds like a rule you learn to pick correct sentences from a list on a test. Maybe better to ask (in class) why you would choose to start a sentence "我买了苹果。。。" vs "我买了两个苹果。。。" It's not like you're trying to keep the quantity secret so you whip out 了 so you can avoid saying it!
Ben Jackson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-03T00:07:22.213Z
cited rules obscure, web search yields:http://xuewen.cnki.net/CJFD-LYSX200302031.html  动态助词“了”隐现缘由探微:动态助词“了”(以下称动态助词“了”为“了1”,称语气助词“了”为“了2”)的自由隐现一直是语法界关注的热点。...其中较有代表性的观点是动词(动短)表示结果意义或后有结果意义的补语时;动词后面有数量短语时;句末出现“了2”时,“了1”一般省去, indicating that 了１in  我买了两个苹果了 should be omitted yielding 我买两个苹果了
user6065
<grammar>
Help with the confusions around 了
# Help with the confusions around 了

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-02)

So I am having a bit of a confusion with the use of 了. So the teacher gave me a sentence which is this:
我买了两个苹果。
She said that V+了+object requires the object to have specified quantity. After that she gave this sentence:
我买了苹果了
She said that if the object have no specified quantity or information there need to be a 了 after it. I ask her if “我买苹果了” is correct or not and she said it is true colloquially which really baffled me.
Can someone tell me where to put 了 in a sentence that have objects but have unspecified quantity (like the one above)

**Tags:** grammar
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Acceptable: 我买了苹果, 我买苹果了, 我买了两个苹果; not work: 我买两个苹果了, 我买了苹果了.  
> **username_2**: "if the object have no specified quantity or information there need to be a 了 after it" sounds like a rule you learn to pick correct sentences from a list on a test. Maybe better to ask (in class) why you would choose to start a sentence "我买了苹果。。。" vs "我买了两个苹果。。。" It's not like you're trying to keep the quantity secret so you whip out 了 so you can avoid saying it!  
> **username_3**: cited rules obscure, web search yields:http://xuewen.cnki.net/CJFD-LYSX200302031.html  动态助词“了”隐现缘由探微:动态助词“了”(以下称动态助词“了”为“了1”,称语气助词“了”为“了2”)的自由隐现一直是语法界关注的热点。...其中较有代表性的观点是动词(动短)表示结果意义或后有结果意义的补语时;动词后面有数量短语时;句末出现“了2”时,“了1”一般省去, indicating that 了１in  我买了两个苹果了 should be omitted yielding 我买两个苹果了  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-12-03. Score: 6

> V+了+object requires the object to have specified quantity

No, it is wrong.

The following sentences are all legitimate:

我买了苹果 = I bought apple (not mentioning how many)

我买了两个苹果 = I bought two apples (stating the quantity)

我买了酒 = I bought alcoholic drink (not mentioning how much, not even what kind)

我买了三瓶白酒 = (I bought three bottles of white wine)

> <http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/460/>
>
> [1] [aspect marker] indicating completed action
>
> [2] [final particle] indicating change of situation
>
> In all the examples above, 了 is a aspect marker that indicates the action (verb) is completed

~

我买了苹果了 = I bought apple

我买了两个苹果了 = I bought two apples

我买了酒了 = I bought alcoholic drink (not mentioning how much, not even what kind)

我买了三瓶白酒了 = I bought three bottles of white wine

> In all four examples above, the second 了 at the end is a final particle. It serves to emphasize the fact and stress an affirmative tone.
>
> Your teacher said it is colloquial because we do use final particles mainly in speech, but it doesn't mean we don't use it in writing.

~

我去买苹果(了) = I go to buy apple

我去买酒(了) = I go to buy wine

\*You can add final particle 了 to the two examples above (了 stress an affirmative tone - *seriously, I am going to buy apple/ wine*)\*

~

我买两个苹果 = I buy two apples

我买三瓶白酒 = I buy three bottles of wine

*You shouldn't add final particle 了 to the two examples above because they are plain factual statements*


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-12-02. Score: 1

我买了苹果了 doesn't sound natural to me.

I prefer 我买苹果了 in response to the question 你买什么了?, and 我买了苹果 to 你买了什么?.

If the question asks numbers 你买了几个苹果，then 我买了两个苹果 is appropriate. 我买两个苹果了 doesn't sound natural.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2018-12-02. Score: 1

It looks to me that it is 我买了苹果了 which is colloquial. The meanings of the examples you give are

> 我买了两个苹果：I have bought two apples
>
> 我买了苹果了：I have already bought apple(s)
>
> 我**买**苹果了：I have already bought apple(s)

The boldface indicates stress.


---

