# 了 - 我下班了 / 我下了班了



## camelTrader

Is there any difference between these two?
这两个有没有区别？
Thanks!


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## rockcracker

Oh, Am lucky enough to be the first to respond to this thread？
There are no grammatical differences in these two expressions, but we never say "我下了班了". the first "了" is quite superflous in such colloquial expression. 
"我下班了" is used quite often in daily life.
We always say "我下了" in the occasion that we must go off line of QQ or MSN and you say to the other one  "我下了" ，“我要下了” or "我先下了".   
希望能帮助到你。


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## SuperXW

rockcracker said:


> Oh, Am lucky enough to be the first to respond to this thread？
> There are no grammatical differences in these two expressions, but we never say "我下了班了". the first "了" is quite superflous in such colloquial expression.
> "我下班了" is used quite often in daily life.


了 is very difficult to master. It has different functions. We often need a context to get the meaning.

*1. We do say 我下了班了*. It means I'm already off work. (The first 了 emphasizes the action is finished. The second 了 merely marks the sentence is finished.)

2. 我下班了 may mean: 
a. I am already off work. (了 emphasizes the action is finished.)
OR b. I'm getting off work now. (了 merely marks the sentence is finished.)
OR c. I am about to get off work. (Same as我要下班了 omit 要. 了 merely marks the sentence is finished.)
The real meaning depends.


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## rockcracker

If you want to say "_I'm already off work_", we are more likely to say “我已经下班了”.  
The expression "我下了班了" itself is correct and you can say it if you want. * But* *its not a normal use and not authentic*. You may hear it
 in cantonese or other dialects. But in mandarin it's rarely heard. 

As to "我下班了"，   Generally when we say “我下班了” to mean I am off work now, I am free to invite you a coffee now.  
"我下班了“ does not have the meaing  "I am about to get off work. (Same as我要下班了)".
 When you want to say "I am about to get off work",you just "我要下班了".  
 (At least that's what I know, maybe there are regional differences. )

They are colloquial, don't be so mixed up with a specific word and the grammar.
So
 我下班了.                  I am off work now.  _ Emphasize the action._
-你还在办公室吗？-我*已经*下班了     Are you still in the office?   - No, I *have aleady* got off work. or I am *already* off work.  _Emphasize the time._
我要下班了,你准备好来接我。               I am about to get off work. Please be ready to pick me up. 

That's the easiest way to remember the the most common way to use.


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## SuperXW

rockcracker said:


> If you want to say "_I'm already off work_", we are more likely to say “我已经下班了”.
> The expression "我下了班了" itself is correct and you can say it if you want. * But* *its not a normal use and not authentic*. You may hear it
> in cantonese or other dialects. But in mandarin it's rarely heard.


I think 我下了班了 is just informal, but still very colloquial. 
No I wasn't talking about Cantonese. Cantonese doesn't even have 了. I'm talking about Beijinger's usage~
e.g. 甲：你下了班就来找我吧。 乙：我下了班了，这就去找你。


rockcracker said:


> "我下班了“ does not have the meaing  "I am about to get off work. (Same as我要下班了)".
> When you want to say "I am about to get off work",you just "我要下班了".
> (At least that's what I know, maybe there are regional differences. )



Consider you are chatting with a friend online in your working hours. At the end you may say:
我下班了，下次聊，拜拜。
You are about to take off but not leaving yet. It's highly possible and it's equal to 我要下班了, 我先下班了, 我该下班回家了, etc.
Other similar usages include 我出门了 before you go out, and 我回家了 before you leave your friends, 老师来了！ before the teacher actually arrives.
了 can be used as a modal partial, like 啦, and those adverbs and modal verbs like 要/先/该 can be omitted under an obvious circumstance.


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## camelTrader

Thanks for the quick replies! 多谢

So 下班了 generally means "I'm finishing work right now (or very soon)."

And 下了班了 means "I've already finished work and have left the building."

So then the first 了 in 下*了*班了 is really emphasizing that the action is completed.

Right？

Also, why is there no 了 in Cantonese?
Is everything in the present tense?
How do you communicate?


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## Ghabi

camelTrader said:


> Also, why is there no 了 in Cantonese? Is everything in the present tense? How do you communicate?


Hi! We usually communicate by telepathy; in the few cases where we're obliged to employ spoken language, we're known to use the particle zo2 咗 to indicate a completed action (and in some rare cases we just change the tone of the verb for the same purpose). But that's another topic, and feel free to open a new thread for that!


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## rockcracker

“_I think 我下了班了 is just informal, but still very colloquial. 
No I wasn't talking about Cantonese. Cantonese doesn't even have 了. I'm talking about Beijinger's usage~
__e.g. 甲：你下了班就来找我吧。 乙：我下了班了，这就去找你_。”

Maybe you are right.  But in pronounciation it's a little tongue-twister when you SAY "我下*了*班*了*“ with two "了". It's not much phonetically fluent. That's why I tend not to use "我下了班了"。 As to your example, I would say in this way "甲对乙说: 你下班后来找我吧" 乙对甲说:"我下班后，这就去找你" which avoids two "了". OR simply "好， 没问题". And you don't have to repeat the expression already occurred before except you really want to emphasize it, which is nearly the rule of all languages for concision's sake (this refers to another topic). 
We always tend to speak fluently and concisely in oral communication. 

Anyway, there are alaways arguments considering China is so vast a country and there are always differences.  
My suggestions to language learners: don't afraid to speak out, you make no mistakes in oral communitcaion as long as you have got yourself through.


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## mayingdts

我下*了班了=*我下*班了=I have *came off duty only. maybe you have finished your works, maybe you did not finish your works. maybe you still stay in office, maybe you have arrived home. 
我要下班了= I'am going to come off duty.
我要下班= I want to come off duty.


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## xu炫迹an

在口语中从来不使用“我下了班了”，中间的“了”显得不恰当           ：（Sorry,I can only say a litttle English.


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## rockcracker

xu炫迹an said:


> 在口语中从来不使用“我下了班了”，中间的“了”显得不恰当           ：（Sorry,I can only say a litttle English.


Exactly! Finally has someone agreed with me. 

欢迎来到wordreference!


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## rockcracker

xu炫迹an said:


> 在口语中从来不使用“我下了班了”，中间的“了”显得不恰当           ：（Sorry,I can only say a litttle English.


Exactly! Finally has someone agreed with me.  Those who say using the two "了" were just out of mind.

欢迎来到wordreference!


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## SuperXW

rockcracker said:


> Maybe you are right. But in pronounciation it's a little tongue-twister when you SAY "我下*了*班*了*“ with two "了". It's not much phonetically fluent. That's why I tend not to use "我下了班了"。 As to your example, I would say in this way "甲对乙说: 你下班后来找我吧" 乙对甲说:"我下班后，这就去找你" which avoids two "了". OR simply "好， 没问题".



No no you still don't understand...-.- Now I'm thinking you are not from northern China...Because 我下了班了 won't become a tongue-twister for most northern Chinese...
我下了班了 means "I've got off work already." You can't just use "好, 没问题" to replace it...And “我下班后,这就去找你” just doesn't sound right. -.-


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## mayingdts

rockcracker said:


> Exactly! Finally has someone agreed with me.
> 
> 欢迎来到wordreference!



no, we do say so


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## BODYholic

camelTrader said:


> Is there any difference between these two?
> 这两个有没有区别？
> Thanks!



They both mean knock off (in the sense of ceasing work). The difference lies on its usage.

1) 下班了 - speaking as a matter of fact.
2) 下了班(了) - is usually used as a conditional phrase. As in many Chinese words, the focus tends to put on its direct object. Example, 吃了饭，冲了凉，洗了手.

I will skip 1) since it's quite straight forward.

For 2), it is common to find this format in sentences which set condition or to make forecast/prediction. 
a. 我下了班了,就去找你。 (I say that while I'm still working)
b. 我(都已经)下了班了,老板还拼命塞东西让我做。(I'm done for the day but the work never ends.)
c. 毕了业了，有什么打算。
d. 你(都已经)毕了业了，还不去找份工。
e. 我们(都已经)上了床了,还计较什么? (oops)


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## rockcracker

As I said previously: But in pronounciation it's a little tongue-twister when you SAY "我下*了班了“ with two "了". It's not much phonetically fluent. That's why I tend not to use "我下了班了"。
**especially in short oral phrases.      "*我下了班了,就去找你。The usage is unwise. You can totally use the *fluent short perfect* phrase
 "我下班了，就去找你".    Also "毕了业了，有什么打算"-->"毕业了/毕业后/毕业以后，有什么打算" etc.......As you always have better alternatives , so why you still stubbornly insist using the less fluent, superfluous phrases?   Insane!   

*You should not strive making up sentences with the douting phrases that the asker gave.  
But referring to our daily, practical usages to judge whether the phrases that given are practical!!!  
*That's why so many artificial sentenses were made up here! 
皇帝不急太监急，楼主都不回来查看，说实在的，我们争给谁看啊.累....


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## mayingdts

calmez-vous，monsieur rockcracker


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## phill84

mayingdts said:


> no, we do say so



To me, a southerner, 下了班了 sounds like northern dialect and 下班了 is more appropriate.
Depending on the context and intonation, it can mean either 'I am already off the clock' or 'I am getting off work'.

However when used in a clause, both 下了班 and 下班了 are correct.

e.g.

'I will be coming when I am off the clock' can be translated into 我下了班就來 or 我下班了就來 and personally the former sounds a bit more 'asap'.


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## maosichunjie

我下班了 is more common use.
我下了班了 maybe has some feelings which means I am not working now or don't talk about my work when I am not working.


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## mayingdts

maosichunjie said:


> 我下班了 is more common use.
> 我下了班了 maybe has some feelings which means I am not working now or don't talk about my work when I am not working.



dont think so. make no sense


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## maosichunjie

"了" is usually used to tell your listeners that something is done, over or complete. Two "了"  are used here , it is obviously to emphasize that I am off work.so why did the speaker emphasize that he is off work.there must be some reasons .I think you can figure out some. 





mayingdts said:


> dont think so. make no sense


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## hehola

xu炫迹an said:


> 在口语中从来不使用“我下了班了”，中间的“了”显得不恰当 ：（Sorry,I can only say a litttle English.


  Not exactly, these two sentences do have differenc though they are both correct and do work, just being used in different situations(, with different moods)  "我下班了"  means "I (just) got off work.",  or "I am getting off work."  "我下了班了" means "I has been off work."


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## hehola

And by the way, China is a large country and people in different areas speaking different dialects (and tons of people's Mandarin are not very professional, unfortunately).  In this case,  the use of the sentence "我下了班了" may not be very common in some areas, but it IS correct and can be used in Mandarin Chinese. Hope helps.


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