Difference between revisions of "Using "guo" with "le""
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You might be familiar with [[Expressing experiences with "guo"|using 过 (guò) to indicate that an '''action has been experienced''' in the past]], but then also see it used together with [[Expressing completion with "le"|了 (le)]].  What's going on here?  A special explanation is in order.
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You might be familiar with [[Expressing experiences with "guo"|using 过 (guo) to indicate that an '''action has been experienced''' in the past]], but then also see it used together with [[Expressing completion with "le"|了 (le)]].  What's going on here?  A special explanation is in order.
  
 
== Basic Pattern ==
 
== Basic Pattern ==
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== What 过 (guò) Does ==
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== What 过 (guo) Does ==
  
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You would be right to point out that 过 (guò) is mainly used to call attention to the fact that someone ''has had an '''experience.''''' This is the basic pattern pointed out in the article on the [[Expressing experiences with verbs|basic usage of the aspectual particle 过]] (guò).  In the examples above, though, it's not any "once-in-a-lifetime" ''experiences'' being expressed, it's more just the information that these actions are ''done.''  Here, 过 (guò) and 了 (le) work together to emphasize that an action is ''already done.''  This is why the translations on the side add the word "already" in parentheses at the end; this is the feeling the sentences give you.  In fact, to emphasize the idea of ''already done'' even further, you could add the word for "already," 已经 (yǐjīng), before the verbs in the examples below, and it also works just fine:
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You would be right to point out that 过 (guo) is mainly used to call attention to the fact that someone ''has had an '''experience.''''' This is the basic pattern pointed out in the article on the [[Expressing experiences with verbs|basic usage of the aspectual particle 过]] (guo).  In the examples above, though, it's not any "once-in-a-lifetime" ''experiences'' being expressed, it's more just the information that these actions are ''done.''  Here, 过 (guo) and 了 (le) work together to emphasize that an action is ''already done.''  This is why the translations on the side add the word "already" in parentheses at the end; this is the feeling the sentences give you.  In fact, to emphasize the idea of ''already done'' even further, you could add the word for "already," 已经 (yǐjīng), before the verbs in the examples below, and it also works just fine:
  
 
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== When to Use 过 (guò) with 了 (le) ==
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== When to Use 过 (guo) with 了 (le) ==
  
 
So when would you use the sentences above?  You'd be emphasizing that the action has ''already'' occurred (so it doesn't need to be done again), so it would probably be something like this:
 
So when would you use the sentences above?  You'd be emphasizing that the action has ''already'' occurred (so it doesn't need to be done again), so it would probably be something like this:

Revision as of 08:31, 6 February 2017

Chinese-grammar-wiki-le.jpg

You might be familiar with using 过 (guo) to indicate that an action has been experienced in the past, but then also see it used together with 了 (le). What's going on here? A special explanation is in order.

Basic Pattern

Structure

Verb + 过 + 了

You'll notice that this pattern is often used for everyday behaviors. It's used for actions like "eating" and "brushing one's teeth" and "taking a shower."

Examples

  • 她 吃 过 了。 Tā chī guo le.She has eaten (already).
  • 牙 刷 过 了。Yá shuā guo le.I've brushed my teeth (already).
  • 洗 过 了。Xǐ guo le. I've showered (already).
  • 我们 看 过 了。 Wǒmen kàn guo le.We've seen it (already).
  • 他们 见 过 了。Tāmen jiàn guo le. They've met (already).

The Pattern with an Object

For the examples above, you could have inserted an object to modify the basic pattern, getting this:

Verb + 过 + Obj. + 了

The object has been inserted in the sentences below:

  • 你 吃 过 饭 了 吗？Nǐ chī guo fàn le ma? Have you eaten (already)?
  • 我 刷 过 牙 了。 Wǒ shuā guo yá le.I have brushed my teeth (already).
  • 他 洗 过 澡 了。 Tā xǐ guo zǎo le.He has showered (already).
  • 我 给 他 打 过 电话 了。Wǒ gěi tā dǎ guo diànhuà le.I called him (already).
  • 客户 看 过 合同 了 吗？Kèhù kàn guo hétong le ma? Has the client read the contract (already)?

What 过 (guo) Does

You would be right to point out that 过 (guo) is mainly used to call attention to the fact that someone has had an experience. This is the basic pattern pointed out in the article on the basic usage of the aspectual particle 过 (guo). In the examples above, though, it's not any "once-in-a-lifetime" experiences being expressed, it's more just the information that these actions are done. Here, 过 (guo) and 了 (le) work together to emphasize that an action is already done. This is why the translations on the side add the word "already" in parentheses at the end; this is the feeling the sentences give you. In fact, to emphasize the idea of already done even further, you could add the word for "already," 已经 (yǐjīng), before the verbs in the examples below, and it also works just fine:

  • 她 已经 吃 过 饭 了。 Tā yǐjīng chī guo fàn le.She has already eaten (a meal).
  • 我 已经 刷 过 牙 了。 Wǒ yǐjīng shuā guo yá le.I have already brushed my teeth.
  • 他 已经 洗 过 澡 了。 Tā yǐjīng xǐ guo zǎo le.He has already had a shower.

When to Use 过 (guo) with 了 (le)

So when would you use the sentences above? You'd be emphasizing that the action has already occurred (so it doesn't need to be done again), so it would probably be something like this:

For the eating example:

  • A:她 想 吃 饭 吗 ？ Tā xiǎng chī fàn ma?Does she want to eat?
  • B:她 已经 吃 过 饭 了。 Tā yǐjīng chī guo fàn le.She has already eaten.

For the tooth brushing example:

  • A:别 忘记 刷牙。 Bié wàngjì shuā yá.Don't forget to brush your teeth.
  • B:我 已经 刷 过 牙 了。Wǒ yǐjīng shuā guo yá le. I have already brushed my teeth.

For the taking a shower example:

  • A:他 应该 洗澡 。 Tā yīnggāi xǐzǎo.He should take a shower.
  • B:他 已经 洗 过 了 。 Tā yǐjīng xǐ guo le.He has already showered.

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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