C. Le 了is used to ask about what someone did. The question uses the modal particle le了, which is the sentence-end le了, but the answer must use the verb-suffix le了, the aspect particle, and the object must be quantified in terms of quantity or duration. If the verb is qù去, it usually takes the suffix le了 and a verbal measure word yí tàng一趟(a trip to) before taking the object which indicates a place.

 

 

3.1     A:      Zuótiān wǎnshang nǐ dōu gàn shénme le?  

                   昨天晚上你都干什么了？

                   What did you do last night?

 

          B:      Xiě-le yì fēng xìn, kan-le yì huǐr diànshì, hái qu-le yí tàng túshūguǎn.  

                   写了一封信，看了一会儿电视，还去了一趟图书馆。

                   I wrote a letter, watched a little TV and also went to the library.

The dōu都used in the question is to show expectation of a list of events.

 

 

3.2     A:      Shàng gè zhōumò nǐ dōu mǎi shénme le?  

                   上个周末你都买什么了？

                   What did you buy last weekend?

 

          B:      Méi mǎi shénme. Jiù mǎi-le yì běn xiǎoshuō.  

                   没买什么。就买了一本小说。

                   I didn’t buy much. I only bought a novel.

 

 

3.3     A:      Wǔfàn nǐ dōu chī shénme le?  

                   午饭你都吃什么了？

                   What did you eat at lunch?

 

          B:      Wǒ chī-le bàn tiáo yú hé yì diǎnr qīngcài.  

                   我吃了半条鱼和一点儿青菜。

                   I ate half a fish and some vegetables.

 

The verb in this type of what-question can be any action verb that takes an object. The important thing is that this type of question asks for very specific information, so the answer must use verb-suffix le了 and the object must be quantified or modified. The question, however, uses the sentence-end modal particle le了. “The more specific and delimited the action is made by reference to particular context, the greater the need for this verb-suffix –le, to the degree that it is obligatory where precision is given to the object or complement by quantifying it.” (P.C. T’ung and D. E. Pollard: 1982, p. 142)