Back to Calendar

💎 Chinese Past Experience with 去过 (qù guò) - Advanced Grammar Patterns

Master the essential Chinese past experience marker 去过 to express places you've visited and experiences you've had. Learn to form questions, negations, and frequency expressions with natural fluency.
Chinese lesson from Monday, July 14, 2025

🎯 Past Experience with 去过 (qù guò)

Learn to express past experiences and places you've visited using 去过 (qù guò) - one of the most useful grammatical structures in Chinese. This pattern allows you to talk about your travel experiences, visits, and life experiences with precision and natural flow.

Perfect for beginners and essential concepts

📚 Key Phrase: 你去过几次中国？ (nǐ qù guò jǐ cì zhōng guó?)

📚 Grammar Focus

1. Basic 去过 Structure

Subject + 去过 + Place
Subject + qù guò + Place
The experiential particle 过 (guò) immediately follows the verb 去 (qù)
• 我去过北京 (wǒ qù guò běi jīng) = I have been to Beijing
• 她去过很多国家 (tā qù guò hěn duō guó jiā) = She has been to many countries
• 老师去过日本 (lǎo shī qù guò rì běn) = The teacher has been to Japan
我去过北京
wǒ qù guò běi jīng
I have been to Beijing

2. Negation with 没有去过 / 没去过

Subject + 没有去过 / 没去过 + Place
Subject + méi yǒu qù guò / méi qù guò + Place
Use 没有 (méi yǒu) or 没 (méi) to negate past experience
• 我没有去过 (wǒ méi yǒu qù guò) = I haven't been (there)
• 我没去过那个商店 (wǒ méi qù guò nà gè shāng diàn) = I haven't been to that store
• 我朋友没去过中国 (wǒ péng yǒu méi qù guò zhōng guó) = My friend hasn't been to China
我没有去过
wǒ méi yǒu qù guò
I haven't been (there)

3. Yes/No Questions with 吗

Subject + 去过 + Place + 吗？
Subject + qù guò + Place + ma?
Add 吗 (ma) at the end to form yes/no questions
• 你去过他家吗？ (nǐ qù guò tā jiā ma?) = Have you been to his house?
• 你去过医院吗？ (nǐ qù guò yī yuàn ma?) = Have you been to the hospital?
• Answer: 去过 (qù guò) = Yes, I have / 没去过 (méi qù guò) = No, I haven't

4. Frequency Expressions with 几次

Subject + 去过 + Place + Number + 次
Subject + qù guò + Place + Number + cì
Use 次 (cì) to express frequency, 几次 (jǐ cì) for "how many times"
• 你去过几次中国？ (nǐ qù guò jǐ cì zhōng guó?) = How many times have you been to China?
• 我去过七次中国 (wǒ qù guò qī cì zhōng guó) = I have been to China seven times
• 我去过他家三次 (wǒ qù guò tā jiā sān cì) = I have been to his house three times
你去过几次中国？
nǐ qù guò jǐ cì zhōng guó?
How many times have you been to China?

5. Alternative Question Structure

Subject + 去没去过 + Place？
Subject + qù méi qù guò + Place?
Alternative question form - "Have you been or not been to..."
• 你去没去过北京？ (nǐ qù méi qù guò běi jīng?) = Have you been to Beijing or not?
• This structure is common in spoken Chinese
• Answer with 去过 (qù guò) or 没去过 (méi qù guò)
你去过几次中国？
nǐ qù guò jǐ cì zhōng guó?
How many times have you been to China?
¿Cuántas veces has ido a China?

词汇 Vocabulary Practice

Practice writing the phrases from today's Chinese lesson!

你去过几次中国？
nǐ qù guò jǐ cì zhōng guó?
English:
How many times have you been to China?
Español:
¿Cuántas veces has ido a China?
我去过七次中国
wǒ qù guò qī cì zhōng guó
English:
I have been to China seven times
Español:
He ido siete veces a China
你去过他家吗？
nǐ qù guò tā jiā ma?
English:
Have you been to his house?
Español:
¿Has ido a su casa?
我没有去过
wǒ méi yǒu qù guò
English:
I haven't been (there)
Español:
No he ido
我去过北京
wǒ qù guò běi jīng
English:
I have been to Beijing
Español:
He ido a Pekín
她去过很多国家
tā qù guò hěn duō guó jiā
English:
She has been to many countries
Español:
Ella ha ido a muchos países
你去过医院吗？
nǐ qù guò yī yuàn ma?
English:
Have you been to the hospital?
Español:
¿Has ido al hospital?
我没去过那个商店
wǒ méi qù guò nà gè shāng diàn
English:
I haven't been to that store
Español:
No he ido a esa tienda
我去过他家三次
wǒ qù guò tā jiā sān cì
English:
I have been to his house three times
Español:
He ido a su casa tres veces
你去过学校几次？
nǐ qù guò xué xiào jǐ cì?
English:
How many times have you been to school?
Español:
¿Cuántas veces has ido a la escuela?
我朋友没去过中国
wǒ péng yǒu méi qù guò zhōng guó
English:
My friend hasn't been to China
Español:
Mi amigo no ha ido a China
老师去过日本
lǎo shī qù guò rì běn
English:
The teacher has been to Japan
Español:
El profesor ha ido a Japón
我们去过动物园
wǒ men qù guò dòng wù yuán
English:
We have been to the zoo
Español:
Hemos ido al zoológico
他没去过火车站
tā méi qù guò huǒ chē zhàn
English:
He hasn't been to the train station
Español:
Él no ha ido a la estación de tren

文化 Cultural Insights

💎 The 去过 structure reveals important aspects of Chinese culture regarding travel, experiences, and social relationships. Questions like 你去过几次中国？ show the Chinese value of cultural exchange and international experience. The emphasis on frequency (七次中国) reflects how Chinese culture values deep, repeated engagement rather than superficial visits. Personal visits like 你去过他家吗？ indicate the importance of home as a sacred space - being invited to someone's home shows trust and close friendship. The discussion of places like 医院 (hospital), 学校 (school), and 动物园 (zoo) shows how Chinese people naturally share life experiences as a way of building connections. The negative form 没去过 is used without shame - it simply indicates that certain experiences haven't happened yet, often followed by expressions of desire to visit. This grammatical structure embodies the Chinese cultural philosophy that life is about accumulating meaningful experiences and sharing them with others to strengthen social bonds.

🎯 Advanced Past Experience Patterns & Real-World Applications

Master complex 去过 usage in real conversations. Practice combining frequency expressions, location types, and cultural context to discuss travel experiences, life journeys, and shared memories with natural fluency and cultural sensitivity.

For students ready to dive deeper

📖 Reading Practice

📖 去过经历分享 - Past Experience Sharing

Nǐ qù guò jǐ cì zhōng guó? Wǒ qù guò qī cì zhōng guó.
你去过几次中国？我去过七次中国。
Nǐ qù guò tā jiā ma? Wǒ méi yǒu qù guò.
你去过他家吗？我没有去过。
Wǒ qù guò běi jīng, hěn piào liàng de chéng shì.
我去过北京，很漂亮的城市。
Tā qù guò hěn duō guó jiā, rì běn, hán guó, tài guó.
她去过很多国家，日本，韩国，泰国。
Nǐ qù guò yī yuàn ma? Wǒ qù guò yī cì.
你去过医院吗？我去过一次。
Wǒ méi qù guò nà gè shāng diàn, tài yuǎn le.
我没去过那个商店，太远了。
Wǒ qù guò tā jiā sān cì, měi cì dōu hěn gāo xìng.
我去过他家三次，每次都很高兴。
Nǐ qù guò xué xiào jǐ cì? Wǒ qù guò hěn duō cì.
你去过学校几次？我去过很多次。
Wǒ péng yǒu méi qù guò zhōng guó, dàn tā hěn xiǎng qù.
我朋友没去过中国，但他很想去。
Lǎo shī qù guò rì běn, tā shuō rì běn hěn gàn jìng.
老师去过日本，他说日本很干净。
Wǒ men qù guò dòng wù yuán, kàn le hěn duō dòng wù.
我们去过动物园，看了很多动物。
Tā méi qù guò huǒ chē zhàn, yīn wèi tā cóng lái bù zuò huǒ chē.
他没去过火车站，因为他从来不坐火车。

📝 Vocabulary from this reading:

国家
guó jiā
Country, nation
医院
yī yuàn
Hospital
商店
shāng diàn
Store, shop
学校
xué xiào
School
动物园
dòng wù yuán
Zoo
火车站
huǒ chē zhàn
Train station
次
cì
Time, occasion (classifier)
几次
jǐ cì
How many times
朋友
péng yǒu
Friend
老师
lǎo shī
Teacher
漂亮
piào liàng
Beautiful, pretty
城市
chéng shì
City
干净
gàn jìng
Clean
动物
dòng wù
Animal
火车
huǒ chē
Train

📚 Additional Learning Content

💎 Cultural Context: Chinese Travel Culture & Experience Sharing

The 去过 structure reflects Chinese cultural values around travel, exploration, and life experiences. Understanding these cultural nuances will help you engage in meaningful conversations about places, journeys, and shared experiences.

Travel and Experience in Chinese Culture

Cultural Importance of Travel Experiences
Travel and place-visiting carry cultural significance
• 你去过几次中国？ shows interest in cultural exchange • Chinese people value travel experiences as personal growth • Visiting places is seen as broadening one's worldview

Social Bonding Through Shared Places
Discussing places visited creates social connections
• 你去过他家吗？ indicates relationship closeness • Visiting someone's home shows trust and friendship • Shared travel experiences create bonds between people

Educational and Professional Context

Educational Emphasis on Experience
Chinese education values real-world experiences
• 你去过学校几次？ relates to educational engagement • 老师去过日本 shows teachers' international experience • Education includes both study and life experiences

Professional and Medical Context
Work and health experiences are important topics
• 你去过医院吗？ shows concern for health and wellbeing • 我没去过那个商店 indicates local area knowledge • Professional experiences contribute to personal development

Frequency and Repetition Cultural Values

Valuing Repeated Experiences
Frequency indicates depth of experience
• 我去过七次中国 shows deep cultural engagement • 我去过他家三次 indicates strong friendship • Multiple visits show commitment and genuine interest

Collective vs Individual Experiences
Group experiences are highly valued
• 我们去过动物园 emphasizes shared experiences • Group activities strengthen social bonds • Collective memories are cherished in Chinese culture

作业 Homework & Practice

📝 Homework for next class:

1. 🌍 Travel Experience Survey: Ask 5 people 你去过哪些国家？ and record their answers using 去过 patterns

2. 📍 Local Places Practice: Create 10 sentences about local places you have/haven't visited using 去过 and 没去过

3. 🔢 Frequency Expressions: Practice frequency questions with 几次 and answers with specific numbers (一次、两次、三次...)

4. 🏠 Personal Relationships: Use 去过 to describe visits to friends' and family members' homes

5. 🎯 Question Formation: Practice both 吗 questions and 去没去过 alternative question structures

6. 📚 Cultural Context: Write about a place you've visited multiple times and explain why it's meaningful to you

7. 🗣️ Conversation Practice: Have dialogues using 去过 patterns to share travel experiences and discover common places

💡 Real-life Challenge: Use 去过 patterns in conversations with Chinese friends to share travel experiences and learn about places they recommend!

Practice Checklist:

Ready for More?

Continue your Chinese learning journey with live classes on TikTok. Join thousands of students learning Mandarin every day!

Join Live Classes