You might be familiar with [using 过 (guo) to indicate that an **action has been experienced** in the past](Expressing_experiences_with_"guo" "wikilink"), but then also see it used together with [了 (le)](Expressing_completion_with_"le" "wikilink"). 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. Basic Pattern ------------- ### Structure

Verb + 过 + 了

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." ### Examples

- 她吃过了。 Tā chī guo le.She has eaten (already). - 牙刷过了。Yá shuā guo le.I've brushed my teeth (already). - 洗过了。Xǐ guo le.I've showered (already). - 我们看过了。 Wǒmen kàn guo le.We've seen it (already). - 他们见过了。Tāmen jiàn guo le.They've met (already).

The Pattern with an Object -------------------------- For the examples above, you could have inserted an object to modify the basic pattern, getting this:

Verb + 过 + Obj. + 了

The object has been inserted in the sentences below:

- 你吃过饭了吗？Nǐ chī guo fàn le ma? Have you eaten (already)? - 我刷过牙了。 Wǒ shuā guo yá le.I have brushed my teeth (already). - 他洗过澡了。 Tā xǐ guo zǎo le.He has showered (already). - 我给他打过电话了。Wǒ gěi tā dǎ guo diànhuà le.I called him (already). - 客户看过合同了吗？Kèhù kàn guo hétong le ma? Has the client read the contract (already)?

What 过 (guo) Does ------------------ You would be right to point out that 过 (guo) is mainly used to call attention to the fact that someone *has had an **experience.*** This is the basic pattern pointed out in the article on the [basic usage of the aspectual particle 过](Expressing_experiences_with_"guo" "wikilink") (guo). In the examples above, though, it's not any "once-in-a-lifetime" *experiences* being expressed, it's more just the information that these actions are *done.* Here, 过 (guo) and 了 (le) work together to emphasize that an action is *already done.* 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 *already done* 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:

- 她已经吃过饭了。 Tā yǐjīng chī guo fàn le.She has already eaten (a meal). - 我已经刷过牙了。 Wǒ yǐjīng shuā guo yá le.I have already brushed my teeth. - 他已经洗过澡了。 Tā yǐjīng xǐ guo zǎo le.He has already had a shower.

When to Use 过 (guo) with 了 (le) --------------------------------- So when would you use the sentences above? You'd be emphasizing that the action has *already* occurred (so it doesn't need to be done again), so it would probably be something like this: For the eating example:

- A:她想吃饭吗？ Tā xiǎng chīfàn ma?Does she want to eat? - B:她已经吃过饭了。 Tā yǐjīng chī guo fàn le.She has already eaten.

For the tooth brushing example:

- A:别忘记刷牙。 Bié wàngjì shuā yá.Don't forget to brush your teeth. - B:我已经刷过牙了。Wǒ yǐjīng shuā guo yá le.I have already brushed my teeth.

For the taking a shower example:

- A:他应该洗澡。 Tā yīnggāi xǐzǎo.He should take a shower. - B:他已经洗 过了 。 Tā yǐjīng xǐ guo le.He has already showered.

See Also -------- - [Expressing experiences with "guo"](Expressing_experiences_with_"guo" "wikilink") - [Expressing completion with "le"](Expressing_completion_with_"le" "wikilink") Sources and further reading --------------------------- ### Books - [A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法)](A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(外国人实用汉语语法) "wikilink") (p. 138) [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA) - [Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册)](Chinese_Grammar_Without_Tears_(简明汉语语法学习手册) "wikilink") (pp. 73-74) [→buy](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) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1 "wikilink") (pp. 345 - 347) [→buy](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) - [Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide](Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide "wikilink") (pp. 76-77, 230-232) [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(新实用汉语课本2) "wikilink") (pp. 175 - 176) [→buy](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) ### Websites - ChinesePod: [Qing Wen - 过(guo)](http://chinesepod.com/lessons/%E8%BF%87guo) (free podcast content)