<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta name="generator" content= "HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" /> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>You might be familiar with <a href= "Expressing_experiences_with_"guo"" title= "wikilink">using 过 (guo) to indicate that an <strong>action has been experienced</strong> in the past</a>, but then also see it used together with <a href= "Expressing_completion_with_"le"" title="wikilink">了 (le)</a>. What's going on here? If you're already familiar with the basic usage of both 了 (le) and 过 (guo), then a special explanation of how they sometimes work together is now in order.</p> <h2 id="basic-pattern">Basic Pattern</h2> <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Verb + 过 + 了</p> </div> <p>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."</p> <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>她 吃 <em>过</em> <em>了</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Tā chī <em>guo</em> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">She has eaten (already).</span></li> <li>牙 刷 <em>过</em> <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Yá shuā <em>guo</em> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I've brushed my teeth (already).</span></li> <li>洗 <em>过</em> <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Xǐ <em>guo</em> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I've showered (already).</span></li> <li>我们 看 <em>过</em> <em>了</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen kàn <em>guo</em> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">We've seen it (already).</span></li> <li>他们 见 <em>过</em> <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen jiàn <em>guo</em> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">They've met (already).</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="the-pattern-with-an-object">The Pattern with an Object</h2> <p>For the examples above, you could have inserted an object to modify the basic pattern, getting this:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Verb + 过 + Obj. + 了</p> </div> <p>The object has been inserted in the sentences below:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 吃 <em>过</em> <strong>饭</strong> <em>了</em> 吗？<span class= "pinyin">Nǐ chī <em>guo</em> <strong>fàn</strong> <em>le</em> ma?</span> <span class="trans">Have you eaten (already)?</span></li> <li>我 刷 <em>过</em> <strong>牙</strong> <em>了</em>。 <span class= "pinyin">Wǒ shuā <em>guo</em> <strong>yá</strong> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I have brushed my teeth (already).</span></li> <li>他 洗 <em>过</em> <strong>澡</strong> <em>了</em>。 <span class= "pinyin">Tā xǐ <em>guo</em> <strong>zǎo</strong> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He has showered (already).</span></li> <li>我 给 他 打 <em>过</em> <strong>电话</strong> <em>了</em>。<span class= "pinyin">Wǒ gěi tā dǎ <em>guo</em> <strong>diànhuà</strong> <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I called him (already).</span></li> <li>客户 看 <em>过</em> <strong>合同</strong> <em>了</em> 吗？<span class= "pinyin">Kèhù kàn <em>guo</em> <strong>hétong</strong> <em>le</em> ma?</span> <span class="trans">Has the client read the contract (already)?</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="what-过-guo-does">What 过 (guo) Does</h2> <p>You would be right to point out that 过 (guo) is mainly used to call attention to the fact that someone <em>has had an <strong>experience.</strong></em> This is the basic pattern pointed out in the article on the <a href= "Expressing_experiences_with_"guo"" title= "wikilink">basic usage of the aspectual particle 过</a> (guo). In the examples above, though, it's not any "once-in-a-lifetime" <em>experiences</em> being expressed, it's more just the information that these actions are <em>done.</em> Here, 过 (guo) and 了 (le) work together to emphasize that an action is <em>already done.</em> 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 <em>already done</em> 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:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>她 <strong>已经</strong> 吃 <em>过</em> 饭 <em>了</em>。 <span class= "pinyin">Tā <strong>yǐjīng</strong> chī <em>guo</em> fàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">She has already eaten (a meal).</span></li> <li>我 <strong>已经</strong> 刷 <em>过</em> 牙 <em>了</em>。 <span class= "pinyin">Wǒ <strong>yǐjīng</strong> shuā <em>guo</em> yá <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I have already brushed my teeth.</span></li> <li>他 <strong>已经</strong> 洗 <em>过</em> 澡 <em>了</em>。 <span class= "pinyin">Tā <strong>yǐjīng</strong> xǐ <em>guo</em> zǎo <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He has already had a shower.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="when-to-use-过-guo-with-了-le">When to Use 过 (guo) with 了 (le)</h2> <p>So when would you use the sentences above? You'd be emphasizing that the action has <em>already</em> occurred (so it doesn't need to be done again), so it would probably be something like this:</p> <p>For the eating example:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li><span class="speaker">A:</span>她 想 吃饭 吗 ？ <span class= "pinyin">Tā xiǎng chīfàn ma?</span><span class="trans">Does she want to eat?</span></li> <li><span class="speaker">B:</span>她 <strong>已经</strong> 吃 <em>过</em> 饭 <em>了</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Tā <strong>yǐjīng</strong> chī <em>guo</em> fàn <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">She has already eaten.</span></li> </ul> </div> <p>For the tooth brushing example:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li><span class="speaker">A:</span>别 忘记 刷牙。 <span class= "pinyin">Bié wàngjì shuā yá.</span><span class="trans">Don't forget to brush your teeth.</span></li> <li><span class="speaker">B:</span>我 <strong>已经</strong> 刷 <em>过</em> 牙 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>yǐjīng</strong> shuā <em>guo</em> yá <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I have already brushed my teeth.</span></li> </ul> </div> <p>For the taking a shower example:</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li><span class="speaker">A:</span>他 应该 洗澡 。 <span class= "pinyin">Tā yīnggāi xǐzǎo.</span><span class="trans">He should take a shower.</span></li> <li><span class="speaker">B:</span>他 <strong>已经</strong> 洗 <em>过 了</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Tā <strong>yǐjīng</strong> xǐ <em>guo le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He has already showered.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2> <ul> <li><a href="Expressing_experiences_with_"guo"" title= "wikilink">Expressing experiences with "guo"</a></li> <li><a href="Expressing_completion_with_"le"" title= "wikilink">Expressing completion with "le"</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2> <h3 id="books">Books</h3> <ul> <li><a href= "A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)" title="wikilink">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)</a> (p. 138) <a href= "http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "Chinese_Grammar_Without_Tears_(%E7%AE%80%E6%98%8E%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E5%AD%A6%E4%B9%A0%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8C)" title="wikilink">Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册)</a> (pp. 73-74) <a href= "http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B0041UGAJU&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B0041UGAJU"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1</a> (pp. 345 - 347) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276792"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide" title="wikilink">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide</a> (pp. 76-77, 230-232) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC2)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)</a> (pp. 175 - 176) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561911297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561911297"> →buy</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="websites">Websites</h3> <ul> <li>ChinesePod: <a href= "http://chinesepod.com/lessons/%E8%BF%87guo">Qing Wen - 过(guo)</a> (free podcast content)</li> </ul> </body> </html>