上课了
a sentence with no subject: just the action or the thing (+ 了 = now)
Structure
动词／名词 （+ 了）
What it means
When everyone knows who or what you mean, Chinese leaves the subject out. A 了 at the end says “now it is so”.
How it is built
Verb or noun (+ 了): 上课了！ (Class is starting!) 下课了！ (Class is over!) 九月了 (It's September now). Or simply: 谢谢！ (Thank you!)
When to use it
Very common in speech for short, clear sentences. English needs a word like “it” (“it's class time”); Chinese doesn't.
Watch out
Don't look for a word for “it”: just say 上课了！ The 了 means “now it is so”: 下课了 = class is over now.
Examples
上课了！
Class is starting!
下课了！
Class is over!
谢谢！
Thank you!
九月了。
It’s September now.
Learn this in 启蒙 · Lesson 6: 上课了 (Classroom Chinese)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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