Expressing experiences with verbs
The aspect particle 过 is used to indicate that an action has been experienced in the past. The structure is:
Subject + Verb + 过 + Object
What this expresses is that the verb has been done at least once before, without specifying a particular time. 过 is used to talk about whether something has ever happened - whether it has been experienced.
Some examples:
- 我 去 过 中国。
- 他 吃 过 小笼包。
- 你 看 过 那 个 人 吗？
Contents
Negating a 过 sentence
Because 过 is used to talk about past actions, it should be negated with 没. The structure is:
Subject + 没 + Verb + 过 + Object
Some examples:
- 我 没 去 过 中国。
- 他 没 听 过 这 首 歌。
- 你 没 尝 过 这 种 啤酒。
Using 过 with 了
You'll sometimes see 过 used together with 了. This can be a little confusing, as it doesn't seeing to be following the rules laid out above. For more on this special usage of 过, see the article on using 过 with 了.
Sources and further reading
Books
- A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 138) →buy
- Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 73-74) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 345 - 347) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 76-77, 230-232) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 175 - 176) →buy
Websites
- ChinesePod: Qing Wen - 过(guo) (free podcast content)
