01 / READExamples
Highlighted words show the grammar pattern. Reveal the English translation when needed.
我坐过夜班火车。
I have taken an overnight train.
The focus is having had the experience, not the date of the trip.
你试过这种茶吗？
Have you tried this kind of tea?
吗 turns the experience statement into a yes-or-no question.
她还没看过这部电影。
She has not seen this film yet.
还没…过 leaves room for the experience to happen later.
02 / UNDERSTANDHow it works
Sentence pattern
Place the unstressed particle 过 immediately after a verb to present an experience. The useful question is “Has this happened in your experience?” rather than “When exactly did it happen?” 我坐过夜班火车 says that an overnight train journey is something I have experienced. It does not describe what I am doing now or tell you the date of the journey.
Use 没 or 没有 before the verb to say that someone has not had the experience. Keep 过: 我没坐过夜班火车. This differs from a simple negative report about a particular event. 还没…过 adds “not yet,” while 从来没…过 makes “never” explicit. To ask whether someone has had an experience, use verb + 过 + 吗.
过 and 了 are not interchangeable past-tense endings. 了 can present a completed event in a particular account; 过 focuses on experience before the reference time. An experience sentence can contain a time expression, but its purpose is still to say the experience occurred. To ask about the experience, follow up with 怎么样, “How was it?”
COMMON MISTAKESWhat to watch for
Avoid我过坐夜班火车。
Use我坐过夜班火车。
The experience particle follows the verb. Keep 坐过 together before naming the kind of train.
03 / PRACTISECheck your understanding
04 / VOCABULARYLesson vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning here |
|---|---|---|
| 夜班 | yèbān | night service or night shift |
| 试 | shì | to try |
| 面馆 | miànguǎn | noodle shop |
Choose a Chinese word for dictionary definitions, examples and stroke order. The meanings above are specific to this lesson.
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Written for this website. Levels indicate difficulty, not official HSK placement. The app covers this topic with different wording and exercises.
