🤓 What You’ll Learn
✔️Use 过 (guò) as a particle to show past experiences
✔️ Ask questions like “Have you ever…?” naturally in Chinese
✔️ Say “I haven’t done it” using 没 (méi) + Verb + 过
✔️ Talk about experiences like visiting places, watching movies, or meeting people
✔️ Learn the right verbs for riding, driving, or taking transportation
✨ Let’s Begin
Today’s focus is the particle 过 (guò) — a marker that shows past experience.
📍过 (guò)
(experience marker) have done something before / have experienced
It works like this:
👉 Subject + Verb + 过 (+ Object)
👉 没 + Verb + 过 (+ Object)
After this lesson, you will be able to ask and answer questions like:
✅ “Have you ever been to Shanghai?”
✅ “I haven’t watched that movie yet.”
Let’s break it down together. 😊
📌Pattern 1 Positive Pattern
Talking About Past Experiences (Places, People, Things)
Subject + Verb + 过 (+ Object)
This is the simplest way to talk about things you’ve done before in Chinese.
It’s like saying:
“I have done OO before.”
- 我去上海 (wǒ qù shàng hǎi)
→ just says I go to Shanghai (now / future / habit). - 我去过上海 (wǒ qù guò shàng hǎi)
→ means I have been to Shanghai before (at least once in the past).
📍 Adding 过 (guò) changes the meaning from a general action to an experience.
Think of 过 (guò) as the “experience marker” — it shows that something has happened before.
💬How It’s Used
👧🏻我去过上海。
wǒ qù guò shàng hǎi
→ I have been to Shanghai.
👨🏻我买过电脑。
wǒ mǎi guò diàn nǎo
→ I have bought a computer.
👩🏻我们吃过火锅。
wǒ men chī guò huǒ guō
→ We have eaten hotpot.
👨🏻我喝过白酒。
wǒ hē guò bái jiǔ
→ I have drunk baijiu (Chinese liquor).
👩🏻我坐过火车。
wǒ zuò guò huǒ chē
→ I have taken the train before.
🧔🏻♂️我见过他。
wǒ jiàn guò tā
→ I have met him.
👧🏻我骑过自行车。
wǒ qí guò zì xíng chē
→ I have ridden a bicycle.
📝Vocabulary List
去 (qù) to go
上海 (shàng hǎi) Shanghai
买 (mǎi) to buy
电脑 (diàn nǎo) computer
吃 (chī) to eat
火锅 (huǒ guō) hotpot
喝 (hē) to drink
白酒 (bái jiǔ) baijiu (Chinese liquor)
坐 (zuò) to take (transportation) / to sit
火车 (huǒ chē) train
见 (jiàn) to meet / to see
骑 (qí) to ride (bicycle or horse)
自行车 (zì xíng chē) bicycle
❓ How to Make a Question
😉Just Add 吗 (ma) at the End!
This turns your statement into a yes/no question.
👉 Subject + Verb + 过 (+ Object) + 吗？
👨🏻你去过北京吗？
nǐ qù guò běi jīng ma
→ Have you ever been to Beijing?
👩🏻你买过机票吗？
nǐ mǎi guò jī piào ma
→ Have you ever bought a plane ticket?
🧔🏻♂️你坐过飞机吗？
nǐ zuò guò fēi jī ma
→ Have you ever taken a flight?
📝Vocabulary List
吗 (ma) question particle (yes/no questions)
北京 (běi jīng) Beijing
机票 (jī piào) plane ticket
坐 (zuò) to take (transportation) / to sit
飞机 (fēi jī) airplane / flight
📌Pattern 2 Negative Pattern
Saying “I Haven’t Done It” ❌
Subject + 没 + Verb + 过(+Object)
Until now, you learned that 不 (bù) means “not” — for things you don’t do now or in the future:
✅ Example:
我不吃肉。
wǒ bù chī ròu
→ I don’t eat meat.
But when you want to say “something did not happen in the past” or “I haven’t done something”,
❌ 不 (bù) is wrong.
✔️ You MUST use 没 (méi).
💡 Quick Compare
💡 Quick Compare
| 不 (bù) | 没 (méi) |
|---|---|
| don’t / won’t / not | didn’t / haven’t |
| now, future, habit | past action, past experience |
| 我不吃肉。 wǒ bù chī ròu → I don’t eat meat. (used for habit) | 我没吃肉。 wǒ méi chī ròu → I didn’t eat meat. |
| 我没吃过肉。 wǒ méi chī guò ròu → I have never eaten meat. |
🚫 If you say 我不去过上海, it sounds totally wrong.
✅ Correct: 我没去过上海 → “I haven’t been to Shanghai.”
Please remember:
🌟 Never use 不 for past negative experiences. Always use 没.
🌟 This is one of the biggest mistakes beginners make — but now you won’t! 😊
💬How It’s Used
👩🏻我没去过上海。
wǒ méi qù guò shàng hǎi
→ I haven’t been to Shanghai.
🧔🏻♂️我没学过英语。
wǒ méi xué guò yīng yǔ
→ I haven’t studied English.
👩🏻他们没坐过飞机。
tā men méi zuò guò fēi jī
→ They haven’t taken a flight.
👨🏻我没坐过公交车。
wǒ méi zuò guò gōng jiāo chē
→ I haven’t taken a bus.
👩🏻我没开过车。
wǒ méi kāi guò chē
→ I haven’t driven a car.
👧🏻他们没来过中国。
tā men méi lái guò zhōng guó
→ They haven’t been to China.
👨🏻我没见过他的女朋友。
wǒ méi jiàn guò tā de nǚ péng you
→ I haven’t met his girlfriend.
📝Vocabulary List
没 (méi) not / haven’t (used for past negative)
学 (xué) to study / to learn
英语 (yīng yǔ) English (language)
坐 (zuò) to take (transportation) / to sit
飞机 (fēi jī) airplane / flight
公交车 (gōng jiāo chē) bus
开 (kāi) to drive / to operate
车 (chē) car / vehicle
来 (lái) to come
中国 (zhōng guó) China
见 (jiàn) to meet / to see
的 (de) (possessive particle)
女朋友 (nǚ péng you) girlfriend
🚀 Level Up
How to Say “I Haven’t Done It Yet” in Chinese
Sometimes, you want to clearly say “I haven’t done it yet” — not just “I haven’t,” but “I still haven’t.”
This is when you add 还 (hái), which means “still” or “yet.”
👉 Subject + 还 (hái) + 没 (méi) + Verb + 过 (+ Object)
→ “I haven’t done it yet.”
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 我没去过上海。 wǒ méi qù guò Shànghǎi → I haven’t been to Shanghai. | Just saying it didn’t happen. |
| 我还没去过上海。 wǒ hái méi qù guò Shànghǎi → I haven’t been to Shanghai yet. | Adding “yet” — feels stronger! |
⚡ Quick Recap — Easy to Remember!
- 没 + Verb + 过 = I haven’t done it.
- 还 + 没 + Verb + 过 = I haven’t done it yet.
✔️ One little word — 还 (hái) — adds the clear meaning of “yet.”
💬How It’s Used
🧔🏻♂️我还没去过欧洲。
wǒ hái méi qù guò ōu zhōu
→ I haven’t been to Europe yet.
👧🏻我还没看过中国电影。
wǒ hái méi kàn guò zhōng guó diàn yǐng
→ I haven’t watched a Chinese movie yet.
👨🏻我还没吃过北京烤鸭。
wǒ hái méi chī guò běi jīng kǎo yā
→ I haven’t eaten Peking duck yet.
📝Vocabulary List
欧洲 (ōu zhōu) Europe
看 (kàn) to watch / to see
中国 (zhōng guó) China
电影 (diàn yǐng) movie / film
北京烤鸭 (běi jīng kǎo yā) Peking duck
🎓Lesson Summary
Today, you learned how to use 过 (guò) — as a particle (dynamic marker 动态助词) to talk about your past experiences in Chinese.
You practiced:
👉 Verb + 过
👉 没 + Verb + 过
👉 还没 + Verb + 过
Most importantly, you learned why Chinese uses 没, not 不, to say ‘didn’t’ or ‘haven’t.’
That’s one of the biggest keys to speaking naturally — and now you’ve got it. 😊
In today’s lesson, we also talked a lot about transportation🚌 — like airplanes, trains, buses, and bicycles — along with the verbs that go with them.
Here’s a quick table to help you remember which verb to use with which vehicle:
| Verb (动词) | Vehicle / Transportation (交通工具) |
|---|---|
| 坐 (zuò) — to take / to ride (by sitting) | 飞机 (fēi jī) — airplane / flight |
| 公交车 (gōng jiāo chē) — bus | |
| 火车 (huǒ chē) — train | |
| 骑 (qí) — to ride (straddle riding) | 自行车 (zì xíng chē) — bicycle |
| 开 (kāi) — to drive / to operate | 车 (chē) — car / vehicle |
🌟 Quick Tip:
坐 → sit inside (plane, train, bus)
骑 → ride on top (bicycle, horse)
开 → you drive (car, truck, etc.)
🚴♀️ Now you can talk about how you get around — from planes to bicycles — like a real traveler speaking Chinese. ✈️🚆🚲
💪 You’re doing an amazing job!
Every sentence you build brings you one step closer to real conversations. Keep practicing — fluency is just a matter of time and effort.
See you in the next lesson! 加油! 🌟
