Expressing Duration of Non-Action: Learn how to say “for how long you haven’t been doing something” using the pattern “S + (有) + Time Spent + 没/不 + Verb + 了”
1 Basic Sentence Pattern
To express “for how long you haven’t been doing something” in Chinese, we use the structure: S + (有) + Time Spent + 没/不 + Verb + 了.
有 (yǒu) is often omitted in the sentence, making the pattern more concise.
The sentence-final 了 (le) indicates that the situation has persisted “up to the present time.”
Duration Visualization
hasn’t/haven’t
Complete Sentence: 他有一个星期没吃早餐了。
(He hasn’t had breakfast for a week.)
Basic Pattern Examples
Key Grammar Points
The word 有 can be included or omitted without changing the meaning:
Both sentences mean “He hasn’t had breakfast for a week.”
The 了 at the end of the sentence indicates that the situation has continued “up to the present time”:
Without 了, the sentence would sound incomplete or unnatural.
2 Specifying Time Period with Time Words
Unlock this content and all our premium features with a membership. Get access to graded HSK video lessons, grammar breakdowns, vocab lists, online tests, and more!
Already a member? Sign in.
3 Usage Notes and Patterns
Unlock this content and all our premium features with a membership. Get access to graded HSK video lessons, grammar breakdowns, vocab lists, online tests, and more!
Already a member? Sign in.
Practice Exercises
Unlock this content and all our premium features with a membership. Get access to graded HSK video lessons, grammar breakdowns, vocab lists, online tests, and more!
Already a member? Sign in.