HSK Guide

过過 guò — ever, have done before (experience particle)

guò (fourth tone, falling)guo4

Traditional: 過

ever, have done before (experience particle)

HSK 2· HSK 1–4 (classic)Level 2· Three-band, nine-level standardparticleverb
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Meanings

  1. ever, have done before (experience particle)

    Placed after the verb to say that you have had an experience at some point: 我去过中国 "I have been to China". In this use it is unstressed and pronounced guo, and it is negated with 没, never 不.

    particle

  2. to pass, to cross, to go over

    verb

Character breakdown

  • 过過
    guò (fourth tone, falling) guo (neutral tone)

    to cross, to pass by, to go through; to spend (time); to exceed; (unstressed guo) the experiential aspect marker

    6 strokes⿺辶寸Radical 辵

Example sentences

  • 我去过中国。我去過中國。Wǒ (third tone, dipping) qùguo (fourth tone, falling) Zhōngguó. (first tone, high and level)···

    I’ve been to China.

  • 你吃过中国菜吗？你吃過中國菜嗎？Nǐ (third tone, dipping) chīguo (first tone, high and level) Zhōngguó (first tone, high and level) cài (fourth tone, falling) ma? (neutral tone)···

    Have you ever had Chinese food?

Common mistakes

  • Not quite我不去过中国。

    Correct我没去过中国。

    过 always takes 没 as its negator, because it reports whether something has happened. 不 denies habits and intentions and cannot cancel an experience.

  • Not quite我去了中国两次。

    Correct我去过中国两次。

    了 reports a completed event in a story you are telling; 过 says you have had the experience at some unspecified time. For "I have been twice", the experience marker is the right one.

Similar words

Words containing 过