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Chinese grammar - Expressing past experience with 过 (guò) - 'ever'

Expressing past experience with 过 (guò) - 'ever'

The Chinese particle (guò) can be appended to a verb to indicate that an action has been experienced or completed at some point in the past.

is called the 'experiential aspect marker'.

It is like saying 'having done something before' or asking 'have ever?'.

Examples:
我去过中国。
wǒ qù guò zhōngguó.
I have been (gone) to China.
他吃过北京烤鸭。
tā chī guò běijīng kǎoyā.
He has eaten Peking duck.

烤鸭 (kǎoyā) means 'roast duck'

她看过这个电影。
tā kàn guò zhè ge diànyǐng.
She has seen this movie.
我学过中文。
wǒ xué guò zhōngwén.
I have studied Chinese.
我们去过长城。
wǒmen qù guò chángchéng.
We have been (gone) to the Great Wall.

长城 (chángchéng) means 'The Great Wall of China'

你听过这首歌吗?
nǐ tīng guò zhè shǒu gē ma?
Have you heard this song?

(shǒu) is a measure word for poems and songs

她来过这儿。
tā lái guò zhèr.
She has been (come) here.

这儿 (zhèr) means 'here'

我去过北京两次。
wǒ qù guò Běijīng liǎng cì.
I have been to Beijing twice.
我用过这个电脑。
wǒ yòng guò zhè ge diànnǎo.
I have used this computer.
他们读过那本书。
tāmen dú guò nà běn shū.
They have read that book.
我已经和爷爷聊过了。
wǒ yǐjīng hé yéye liáo guò le.
I have already chatted with my grandfather.

(liáo) means 'to chat' or 'to talk'

我坐过飞机。
wǒ zuò guò fēijī.
I have taken a plane.

飞机 (fēijī) means 'airplane'

你玩过这个游戏吗?
nǐ wán guò zhè ge yóuxì ma?
Have you played this game?
他住过北京。
tā zhù guò běijīng.
He has lived in Beijing.
我们一周前见过面。
wǒmen yì zhōu qián jiàn guò miàn.
We met one week ago.

Note how splits the verb 见面 ('to meet')

(miàn) means 'face' or 'surface'

他在长江游过泳。
tā zài chángjiāng yóu guò yǒng.
He has swum in the Yangtze River.

Note how splits the verb 游泳 ('to swim')

长江 (chángjiāng) means 'Yangtze River'

我拍过天坛的照片。
wǒ pāi guò tiāntán de zhàopiàn.
I have taken a photo of the Temple of Heaven.

拍照片 (pāi zhàopiàn) means 'to take a photo'

天坛 (Tiāntán) means 'Temple of Heaven'

我们去过那家餐馆三次。
wǒmen qù guò nà jiā cānguǎn sān cì.
We have been to that restaurant three times.
我已经看过这部电影两次。
wǒ yǐjīng kàn guò zhè bù diànyǐng liǎng cì.
I have already watched this movie twice.