\tThe particle \u8fc7 (guò) is used to talk about past experiences or past actions in Chinese grammar. It is placed immediately after the verb to indicate that that verb was done or experienced in the past. In English, the equivalent would simply be “have”, e.g. in “I have done that”, “I have eaten”, “He has seen it” and so on.<\/p>\n
\tBasic use of \u8fc7 for past experiences<\/p>\n
\tThe most basic structure for \u8fc7 is to just place it immediately after the verb without an object:<\/p>\n
\t[subject] [verb] \u8fc7
\tHave a look at some example sentences for how to use \u8fc7 in this way:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u5df2\u7ecf\u770b\u8fc7\u3002
\tW\u01d2 y\u01d0j\u012bng kànguò.
\tI've already seen it.
\t\u6211\u542c\u8bf4\u8fc7\u3002
\tW\u01d2 t\u012bng shu\u014dguò.
\tI've heard about that.
\t\u6211\u8bd5\u8fc7\u3002
\tW\u01d2 shìguò.
\tI've tried that.
\tIn each case, the speaker is expressing that they’ve already done an action at least once before in the past. Using \u8fc7 doesn’t give an exact time to the action – it could have been a long time ago or just a few moments ago. Unless the time is specified, we can only know from context (or not at all).<\/p>\n
\tNote that whilst the Chinese sentences above don’t have objects as such, their English translations do. This is because Chinese can often omit the object if it’s clear in the context, whereas English usually cannot.<\/p>\n
\tUsing \u8fc7 with an object<\/p>\n
\tYou can also use \u8fc7 in sentences with an object. The structure only gets slightly more complicated – you just put the object right after \u8fc7.<\/p>\n
\t[subject] [verb] \u8fc7 [object]
\tHave a look at some example sentences for \u8fc7 with an object:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u53bb\u8fc7\u52a0\u62ff\u5927\u3002
\tW\u01d2 qùguò Ji\u0101'nádà.
\tI've been to Canada.
\t\u6211\u5df2\u7ecf\u770b\u8fc7\u90a3\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\u3002
\tW\u01d2 y\u01d0j\u012bng kànguò nà bù diàny\u01d0ng.
\tI've already seen that film.
\t\u4f60\u89c1\u8fc7\u4ed6\u5417\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 jiànguò t\u0101 ma?
\tHave you seen him before?
\t\u4ed6\u5df2\u7ecf\u5403\u8fc7\u8fd9\u79cd\u83dc\u3002
\tT\u0101 y\u01d0j\u012bng ch\u012bguò zhè zhòng cài.
\tHe's had this kind of dish before.
\tYou could think of the verb and \u8fc7 as combining into one unit: the action plus the aspect (aspect refers to whether or not the action was completed). Then the object just comes after this unit.<\/p>\n
\tUsing \u8fc7 in a topic-prominent sentence<\/p>\n
\t\u8fc7 often appears in topic-prominent sentences. Don’t worry if you don’t know what that means. It just means a sentence where the topic, the main point of the sentence, comes first. These are very common in Chinese. The structure for a topic-prominent sentence with \u8fc7 is:<\/p>\n
\t[topic] [subject] [verb] \u8fc7
\tThis might seem a bit weird but when you see it in action it should seem a lot more straightforward:<\/p>\n
\t\u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\u4f60\u770b\u8fc7\u5417\uff1f
\tZhè bù diàny\u01d0ng n\u01d0 kànguò ma?
\tHave you seen this film before?
\t\u8fd9\u4e2a\u6211\u6ca1\u542c\u8bf4\u8fc7\u3002
\tZhège w\u01d2 méi t\u012bng shu\u014dguò.
\tI haven't heard about that.
\t\u6e58\u83dc\u6211\u5403\u8fc7\u3002
\tXi\u0101ngcài w\u01d2 ch\u012bguò.
\tI've eaten Hunan food before.
\tThese sentences draw particular attention to the topic (the thing that comes first), and may indicate a contrast depending on the context. For example, the last sentence might come right after the speaker says they haven’t eaten some other kind of food.<\/p>\n
\tNegating \u8fc7<\/p>\n
\tBecause \u8fc7 is about past actions, you have to use \u6ca1<\/p>\n
\t(méi)
\tto negate it. The structure for this is:
\t[subject] \u6ca1 [verb] \u8fc7 [object]
\tAs is often the case in Chinese grammar, the object is optional and the subject is even more optional. \u6ca1 can also be swapped for \u6ca1\u6709 for emphasis. Have a look at some example sentences:<\/p>\n
\t\u6ca1\u770b\u8fc7\u3002
\tMéi kànguò.
\tI haven't seen it.
\t\u6211\u6ca1\u6709\u559d\u8fc7\u4f60\u7684\u9152\uff01
\tW\u01d2 méiy\u01d2u h\u0113guò n\u01d0 de ji\u01d4!
\tI haven't drunk your wine!
\t\u4ed6\u6ca1\u53bb\u8fc7\u7f8e\u56fd\u3002
\tT\u0101 méi qùguò M\u011biguó.
\tHe hasn't been to America.
\tThat last sentence might be quite a nice one to practice your tones with!<\/p>\n
\t\u8fc7 with \u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709<\/p>\n
\t(cónglái méiy\u01d2u)
\tBecause \u8fc7 is used to talk about things that have been experienced in done in the past, you can combine it with \u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709 to say that something has never happened. The structure for this is:
\t[subject] \u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709 [verb] \u8fc7 [object]
\tHave a look at some examples:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709\u5403\u8fc7\u8fd9\u4e48\u591a\u996d\uff01
\tW\u01d2 cónglái méiy\u01d2u ch\u012bguò zhème du\u014d fàn!
\tI've never eaten so much before!
\t\u6211\u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709\u8fd9\u4e48\u751f\u6c14\u8fc7\u3002
\tW\u01d2 cónglái méiy\u01d2u zhème sh\u0113ngqìguò.
\tI've never been angry like this before.
\t\u4ed6\u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709\u89c1\u8fc7\u5982\u6b64\u5927\u7684\u72d7\u3002
\tT\u0101 cónglái méiy\u01d2u jiànguò rúc\u01d0 dà de g\u01d2u.
\tHe'd never seen such a big dog before.
\tSaying the full \u4ece\u6765\u6ca1\u6709 is quite emphatic. You can often reduce it to \u4ece\u6765\u6ca1 if you don’t want such a long sentence.<\/p>\n
\tThe difference between \u8fc7 and \u4e86<\/p>\n
\tThe two particles \u8fc7 and \u4e86 (le) might seem quite similar: both can be used to talk about completed actions. The difference is:<\/p>\n
\t\u4e86 can be used to talk about completed actions in the past, present or future.
\t\u4e86 can also be used to talk about changes of state (“it is now the case that”).
\tThe particle \u8fc7 is always about completed past events.
\tCompare the following sentences:<\/p>\n
\t\u5979\u53bb\u8fc7\u65e5\u672c\u3002
\tT\u0101 qùguò Rìb\u011bn.
\tShe's been to Japan (and she's no longer there).
\t\u5979\u53bb\u65e5\u672c\u4e86\u3002
\tT\u0101 qù Rìb\u011bn le.
\tShe's gone to Japan (and she's still there – completed action \u4e86). She's gone to Japan (she's on her way there – change of state \u4e86).
\t\u4ed6\u6765\u8fc7\u6211\u4eec\u5bb6\u3002
\tT\u0101 láiguò w\u01d2men ji\u0101.
\tHe's been to our house (in the past – he's left now).
\t\u4ed6\u6765\u6211\u4eec\u5bb6\u4e86\u3002
\tT\u0101 lái w\u01d2men ji\u0101 le.
\tHe's come to our house (and he's still here – completed action \u4e86). He's coming to our house (change of state \u4e86).
\tIf you’re not used to \u4e86 grammar then the above sentences might be quite confusing. English has distinct ways of expressing the two possibilities for each of the \u4e86 sentences. When you say the Chinese sentences, though, it’s not definite which one you mean.<\/p>\n
\tUsing \u8fc7 and \u4e86 together<\/p>\n
\tThings can get trickier still, though! You can use \u8fc7 and \u4e86 in the same sentence. When this happens, you’re always dealing with a ‘change of state \u4e86’, also known as ‘sentence \u4e86’. Change of state \u4e86 is like saying “it is now the case that”. Things have changed, or there is new information.<\/p>\n
\tWhen this combines with \u8fc7, you get something like “it is now the case that something has been done”. This is nearly always used to talk about frequent, every day actions. Sentences that combine \u8fc7 and \u4e86 are also about specific objects, i.e. ones that the speaker and listener know about already.<\/p>\n
\tHave a look at some examples:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u5403\u8fc7\u4e86\u3002
\tW\u01d2 ch\u012bguòle.
\tI've eaten.
\t\u6211\u5df2\u7ecf\u505a\u8fc7\u4e86\u3002
\tW\u01d2 y\u01d0j\u012bng zuòguòle.
\tI‘ve already done it.
\t\u4f60\u6d17\u8fc7\u6fa1\u4e86\u5417\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 x\u01d0guò z\u01ceole ma?
\tHave you had a shower?
\t\u4f60\u5403\u8fc7\u836f\u4e86\u5417\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 ch\u012bguò yàole ma?
\tHave you taken your medicine?
\tNote how all of these sentences are sort of ‘status updates’. The thing has been done. Also note how they’re all about specific objects, or at least common actions that both speakers are used to and aware of already.<\/p>\n
\tWhilst \u8fc7 + \u4e86 is nearly always about frequent actions, we did manage to think of a couple of situations where it would be used for one off or special events. Have a look:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u4eec\u53bb\u8fc7\u7f8e\u56fd\u5566\uff01
\tW\u01d2men qùguò M\u011biguó la!
\tWe've now been to America! (Said to your companion on the flight home from America.)
\t\u6211\u7ec8\u4e8e\u8003\u8fc7\u8bd5\u4e86\u3002
\tW\u01d2 zh\u014dngyú k\u01ceoguò shìle.
\tI've finally finished my exams now.
\tThese situations are definitely not the norm, though. The first one is expressing a meaning like “We can now say that we’ve been to America” or “It’s now the case that we’ve been to America.” As you can see it’s quite unusual and contrived. Usually a sentence with \u8fc7 and \u4e86 is about everyday actions.<\/p>\n
\tAsking questions with \u8fc7<\/p>\n
\tA few of the example sentences above were questions, but you might like to see a few more ways you can ask questions with \u8fc7. Have a look at these example sentences and pay attention to the way various questions can be formed:<\/p>\n
\t\u4f60\u6709\u6ca1\u6709\u53bb\u8fc7\u4e2d\u56fd\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 y\u01d2u méiy\u01d2u qùguò Zh\u014dngguó?
\tHave you ever been to China?
\t\u4f60\u5403\u8fc7\u996d\u4e86\u5417\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 ch\u012bguò fànle ma?
\tHave you eaten?
\t\u4f60\u559d\u8fc7\u767d\u9152\u6ca1\u6709\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 h\u0113guò báiji\u01d4 méiy\u01d2u?
\tHave you had baijiu before?
\t\u4f60\u662f\u4e0d\u662f\u5df2\u7ecf\u770b\u8fc7\u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 shì bùshì y\u01d0j\u012bng kànguò zhè bù diàny\u01d0ng?
\tHave you seen this film before?
\t\u4f60\u542c\u8bf4\u8fc7\u5427\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 t\u012bng shu\u014dguò ba?
\tYou've heard about it, right?
\t\u4f60\u600e\u4e48\u6ca1\u8bf4\u8fc7\u5462\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 z\u011bnme méi shu\u014dguò ne?
\tHow come you didn't say?
\tAs you can see, \u8fc7 can combine with all the usual ways of forming questions in Chinese grammar.<\/p>\n
\t\u8fc7 is for repeatable events<\/p>\n
\tOne final thing to note about \u8fc7 is that it’s only supposed to be used for repeatable events. It’s for actions that are completed and in the past, but have been done at least once or could in theory be done again in the future. This is why \u8fc7 is described as being about experiences – the action or event has been experienced.<\/p>\n
\tThe sort of actions that you can’t really use \u8fc7 with are one-off or once-in-a-lifetime events that by their nature can’t be done twice, such as dying or being born. You might also include graduating from university and getting married as one off events that can’t be used with \u8fc7, unless you plan on doing them again in future (e.g. getting a PhD, or after getting divorced).<\/p>\n
\tBecause of that, if you do use \u8fc7 with one of these actions, the implication is that the action is done with now, and possibly that you might do it again in future. For example:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u7ed3\u8fc7\u5a5a\u3002
\tW\u01d2 jiéguò h\u016bn.
\tI got married once. I've been married before.
\tSo be careful not to say embarrassing things with \u8fc7 by making it sound like something is done with or a thing of the past!<\/p>\n
\tBecause we’re in the mood for contrived scenarios today, we’ve come up with one where you could theoretically say “\u6b7b\u8fc7”. Imagine that person A is talking about the afterlife with great conviction and as if they knew everything about it. Person B is sceptical of their experience in this matter, and says:<\/p>\n
\t\u4f60\u6b7b\u8fc7\u5417\uff1f
\tN\u01d0 s\u01d0guò ma?
\tOh, so you've died before?
\tAs you can see, though, these situations are really weird. The general rule is that \u8fc7 is for repeatable events only.<\/p>\n