Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 17

CEFR A2-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (15 questions)

Mandarin 过 (guo): Saying You Have Ever Done Something

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

(guo) straight after a verb says you have done it at least once: it is on your record. English says "have ever"; Mandarin says (guo). The aspect markers page introduced it beside (le); this page has the rules.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick 了 or 过 for the gap.

  1. 我从来没去北京。 (I've never been to Beijing.)

    wǒ cóng lái méi qù ___ běi jīng 。 (I've never been to Beijing.)

  2. 他走，现在不在家。 (He's left; he isn't at home now.)

    tā zǒu ___， xiàn zài bu zài jiā 。 (He's left; he isn't at home now.)

  3. 你吃饺子吗？ (Have you ever had dumplings?)

    nǐ chī ___ jiǎo zi ma ？ (Have you ever had dumplings?)

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

过 guo (done at least once)没 méi (never)What do the colours mean?
Subject
没
Verb
过
Object
empty
empty
HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ qù guo Běijīng.I've been to Beijing
。Wǒ chī guo jiǎozi.I've had dumplings
。Wǒ méi qù guo Běijīng.I've never been to Beijing
？Nǐ qù guo Běijīng ma?Have you ever been to Beijing?

(guo) is said in the neutral tone, when it marks experience. It does not say when: it says the thing has happened to you, and that it is over.

Where 过 (guo) sits

过 guo (done at least once)What do the colours mean?

(guo) goes straight after the verb, before the object. Nothing comes between the verb and (guo):

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ xué guo Zhōngwén.I've studied Chinese
。Tā lái guo zhèlǐ.He's been here before
。Wǒ kàn guo zhè bù diànyǐng.I've seen this film
。Wǒmen jiàn guo miàn.We've met before

The last row splits a verb-object word: (jiànmiàn), meet, becomes (jiàn guo miàn). Verb-object verbs all do this: goes after the verb half.

没 (méi)…过 (guo): never

过 guo (done at least once)没 méi (never)What do the colours mean?

For "have never", put (méi) before the verb and keep (guo). This is where parts company with (le), which removes:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ méi qù guo Běijīng.I've never been to Beijing
。Tā méi chī guo jiǎozi.He's never had dumplings
。Wǒ cónglái méi qù guo Rìběn.I've never ever been to Japan
。Wǒ hái méi qù guo Zhōngguó.I haven't been to China yet

Drop the (guo) and the meaning changes: (wǒ méi qù Běijīng) is "I didn't go to Beijing", one trip that did not happen. (bù) does not go with at all: (wǒ bú qù guo) is wrong. Experiential is on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Foundation and Higher tier, and (cónglái) at Higher.

Asking: 过吗 (guo ma) and 过没有 (guo méiyǒu)

过 guo (done at least once)没 méi (never)What do the colours mean?

Ask "have you ever" with (ma), or with (méiyǒu) at the end. Answer with the verb and , or …:

HanziPinyinEnglish
？Nǐ qù guo Zhōngguó ma?Have you ever been to China?
？Nǐ chī guo jiǎozi méiyǒu?Have you had dumplings or not?
。Qù guo.Yes, I have
。Méi qù guo.No, never

过 (guo) or 了 (le)?

了 le (that occasion)过 guo (done at least once)What do the colours mean?

Both sit after the verb and both say it happened. (le) reports one occasion. (guo) reports an experience, and says it is over:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā qù le Běijīng.He's gone to Beijing (may still be there)
。Tā qù guo Běijīng.He's been to Beijing (and he's back)
。Wǒ chī le jiǎozi.I had dumplings (at that meal)
。Wǒ chī guo jiǎozi.I've had dumplings (I know the taste)

  • 他去了北京 tā qù le Běijīng: he went, and may still be there

  • 他去过北京 tā qù guo Běijīng: he went, and came back

Timeline from past to now, with now marked.

The test for a story: telling what happened step by step, use (le). Saying what you have done in your life, use (guo). The 了 (le) page has the rest.

When, and how many times

过 guo (done at least once)What do the colours mean?

(guo) does not need a vague time. A time frame such as (qùnián), last year, or (yǐqián), before, is fine:

  • 。 (Wǒ qùnián qù guo yí cì Běijīng.) - I went to Beijing once last year.
  • 。 (Wǒ yǐqián xué guo Zhōngwén.) - I studied Chinese before.

A count goes after : (qù guo sān cì), been three times. Where the count goes with an object is on verbal measure words.

吃过饭了 (chī guo fàn le): done with it

过 guo (done with)了 le at the end (something new)What do the colours mean?

One everyday use is not about life experience at all. With a final (le), (guo) can mean "done with, already":

  • 。 (Wǒ chī guo fàn le.) - I've already eaten.
  • 。 (Zhè běn shū wǒ kàn guo le.) - I've already read this book.

That is a common answer to ？(nǐ chīfàn le ma?), have you eaten?, and it can be ten minutes ago.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。"never" is (méi)…, not (bù)
。。for "I've never been": keep (guo)
。。 (guo) goes straight after the verb
。。 (jiànmiàn) takes no object; (jiàn) does

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Say three things you have done and one you never have: … (wǒ méi qù guo…).
  3. Then read verbal measure words to say how many times.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Pick 了 or 过 for the gap.

  1. 我从来没去北京。 (I've never been to Beijing.)

    wǒ cóng lái méi qù ___ běi jīng 。 (I've never been to Beijing.)

  2. 他走，现在不在家。 (He's left; he isn't at home now.)

    tā zǒu ___， xiàn zài bu zài jiā 。 (He's left; he isn't at home now.)

  3. 你吃饺子吗？ (Have you ever had dumplings?)

    nǐ chī ___ jiǎo zi ma ？ (Have you ever had dumplings?)

  4. 她已经回家。 (She's already gone home.)

    tā yǐ jīng huí jiā ___。 (She's already gone home.)

  5. 我没看这本书。 (I've never read this book.)

    wǒ méi kàn ___ zhè běn shū 。 (I've never read this book.)

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. wǒ bú qù guò běi jīng 。

  2. wǒ cóng lái méi qù le běi jīng 。

  3. wǒ qù běi jīng guò 。

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order. 过 goes straight after the verb.

  1. I've never been to Beijing.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. Have you ever been to China?

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. We've met before.

    Your sentence is empty.

Matching

0/4

Match each sentence to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What does (guo) mean after a verb in Mandarin?
That you have had the experience at least once: (wǒ qù guo Běijīng), I've been to Beijing; (wǒ chī guo jiǎozi), I've had dumplings. It is the Mandarin for English 'have ever done'.
How do you say 'I have never...' in Mandarin?
(méi) + verb + (guo), and the stays: (wǒ méi qù guo Rìběn), I've never been to Japan. Add (cónglái) for 'never ever': (wǒ cónglái méi qù guo Rìběn).
What is the difference between (guo) and (le)?
(le) reports a particular occasion: (tā qù le Běijīng), he went to Beijing, and may still be there. (guo) reports the experience and says it is over: (tā qù guo Běijīng), he has been to Beijing, and he is back.
Can (guo) go with a time like ?
Yes. does not need a vague time: (wǒ qùnián qù guo yí cì Běijīng), I went to Beijing once last year. What adds is that it is an experience you have had, not a story you are telling step by step.
What does mean?
I've (already) eaten. Here means 'done with', and it comes with (le) at the end. It is an everyday answer to ？(nǐ chīfàn le ma?), and nothing to do with life experience.