AdverbsHSK 4
Expressing duration of inaction
Use this pattern to express how long an action hasn't been done. Place the duration phrase right after the subject, negate the verb with 没, and finish the sentence with 了 to emphasize that the non-action still holds. A common mistake is forgetting the sentence-final 了, which makes the statement sound incomplete.
Structure
Subj. + (已经 +) Duration + 没 + Verb + 了
已经 (already) is optional and adds emphasis.
Examples
- 他们已经两天没吃东西了。Tāmen yǐjīng liǎng tiān méi chī dōngxi le .They haven't eating anything for two days already.
- 你多长时间没刮胡子了？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān méi guā húzi le ?How long has it been since you last shaved?
- 她半个月没出门了。Tā bàn gè yuè méi chūmén le .It's been half a month since she's left the house.
- 你们多久没回家了？Nǐmen duōjiǔ méi huíjiā le ?How long has it been since you returned home?
- 我已经十年没来中国了。Wǒ yǐjīng shí nián méi lái Zhōngguó le .It's been 10 years since I came to China last.