Verb + 过
Stick 过 right after a verb to say you've done that thing at least once in your life — 我去过北京 (I've been to Beijing), 你吃过饺子吗？(Have you ever eaten dumplings?). This is the experiential aspect, the Chinese way of saying 'have ever done.' It's about life experience, not what just happened — for 'just finished,' you want 了 instead. Negate it with 没 (没去过, not 不去过).
Structure
[SUBJECT] [VERB] 过 ([OBJECT])
[VERB] guo
How to Think About It
过 stamps the verb with 'experienced before' — the action is in your personal history book, regardless of when. That's why 我吃过寿司 doesn't tell you when you ate it, just that sushi exists in your past. Compare 了, which marks completion of a specific event ('I ate it' = the meal happened). 过 is biographical; 了 is event-specific. Mix them up and Chinese listeners will be confused about whether you're describing a life experience or a recent event.
Examples
我去过日本。
Wǒ qù guo Rìběn.
I've been to Japan.
你看过这部电影吗？
Nǐ kàn guo zhè bù diànyǐng ma?
Have you ever seen this movie?
他没吃过中国菜。
Tā méi chī guo Zhōngguó cài.
He has never eaten Chinese food.
Common Mistake
Learners negate with 不 instead of 没, copying the rule for other verbs. But 过 marks past experience, so its negation is 没……过 ('have never done'), never 不……过.
我不去过中国。
我没去过中国。
Don't Confuse With
Verb + 了
了 marks a completed event ('I ate' = at a specific time). 过 marks life experience ('I've eaten it before, at some point').
Verb + 过 (result complement: through/across)
过 can also be a directional complement meaning 'through' (走过, 经过). Context tells you which: the experiential 过 is unstressed and follows a non-motion verb.
曾经 + Verb + 过
Add 曾经 ('once, formerly') for a more literary or distant past flavor. Plain Verb + 过 covers most everyday 'have ever' situations.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 我学___三年中文。 (have studied — experiential)
Show answer
过
Fill in the blank: 你去___北京吗？
Show answer
过
Arrange: 过 / 我 / 寿司 / 没 / 吃
Show answer
我没吃过寿司。
Translate to Chinese: Have you ever drunk Chinese tea?
Show answer
你喝过中国茶吗？
Write a sentence with Verb + 过 about something you've experienced once.
Show answer
我去过长城。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 5 Fluentide episodes:
以前的总统没有见过你。
你只做以前做过的事情。
你去过吗？ (Have you been there?)