ChineseGrammarWiki/MD/A2/51.mw.html

<p>You might be familiar with <a href="Expressing_experiences_with_&quot;guo&quot;" 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_&quot;le&quot;" 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 &quot;eating&quot; and &quot;brushing one's teeth&quot; and &quot;taking a shower.&quot;</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_&quot;guo&quot;" title="wikilink">basic usage of the aspectual particle 过</a> (guo). In the examples above, though, it's not any &quot;once-in-a-lifetime&quot; <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 &quot;already&quot; 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 &quot;already,&quot; 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_&quot;guo&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing experiences with &quot;guo&quot;</a></li>
<li><a href="Expressing_completion_with_&quot;le&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing completion with &quot;le&quot;</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_(外国人实用汉语语法)" 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&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B001J0ADWA&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Chinese_Grammar_Without_Tears_(简明汉语语法学习手册)" 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&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B0041UGAJU&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;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&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;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&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0415700108">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_2_(新实用汉语课本2)" 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&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;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>