Simplified Chinese - Lesson 66 of 156: Past Experiences

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

我年轻的时候常常___。

wǒ niánqīng de shíhou chángcháng ___.

I used to ___ when I was younger.

Meaning: I used to ___ when I was younger. (我年轻的时候常常___ (wǒ niánqīng de shíhou chángcháng ___))

When to use: Use this to talk about past habits or repeated actions when you were younger. You can also say 我小时候常常___ (wǒ xiǎoshíhou chángcháng ___) to mean childhood habits.

我年轻的时候常常住在乡下，早上五点就起床。

Wǒ niánqīng de shíhou chángcháng zhù zài xiāngxià, zǎoshang wǔ diǎn jiù qǐchuáng.

When I was younger I often lived in the countryside and woke at 5 am.

我年轻的时候常常和朋友去图书馆自习。

Wǒ niánqīng de shíhou chángcháng hé péngyou qù túshūguǎn zìxí.

When I was younger I often studied with friends at the library.

我以前去过___。

wǒ yǐqián qù guo ___.

I’ve been to ___ before.

Meaning: I’ve been to ___ before. (我以前去过___ (wǒ yǐqián qù guo ___))

When to use: Use this to say you have experience visiting a place in the past. Put the place after 去过 (qù guo).

Tip: Don't confuse 去过 (qù guo) with 去了 (qù le). 去过 emphasizes having the experience; 去了 often emphasizes the action of having gone.

我以前去过杭州，那里的西湖很漂亮。

Wǒ yǐqián qù guo Hángzhōu, nàlǐ de Xīhú hěn piàoliang.

I've been to Hangzhou before; the West Lake is beautiful there.

我以前去过一次日本，对那里的文化印象很深。

Wǒ yǐqián qù guo yīcì Rìběn, duì nàlǐ de wénhuà yìnxiàng hěn shēn.

I've been to Japan once before; I'm impressed by the culture.

你___过吗

Nǐ ___ guo ma?

Have you ever ___?

Meaning: Have you ever ___? (你___过吗？ (Nǐ ___ guo ma?))

When to use: Use this to ask if someone has had a past experience. Put a verb or verb phrase in the blank, e.g., 你去过中国吗？

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 你___了吗? — that's incorrect here; use 过 (guo) to ask about experience, not 了 (le).

你学过中文吗

Nǐ xué guo Zhōngwén ma?

Have you ever studied Chinese?

你坐过热气球吗？

Nǐ zuò guo rèqìqiú ma?

Have you ever ridden in a hot-air balloon?

那件事发生在我___的时候。

Nà jiàn shì fāshēng zài wǒ ___ de shíhou.

That happened when I was ___.

Meaning: That happened when I was ___. (那件事发生在我___的时候。 (Nà jiàn shì fāshēng zài wǒ ___ de shíhou.))

When to use: Use this to place an event in time. Fill the blank with an age, life stage, or time period like 十岁, 上大学, or 几年前.

那件事发生在我上大学的时候，我永远忘不了。

Nà jiàn shì fāshēng zài wǒ shàng dàxué de shíhou, wǒ yǒngyuǎn wàng bùliǎo.

That happened when I was at university; I'll never forget it.

那件事发生在我十岁的时候，一直在我心里。

Nà jiàn shì fāshēng zài wǒ shí suì de shíhou, yīzhí zài wǒ xīn lǐ.

That happened when I was ten; it's stayed with me.

我第一次___是在___。

Wǒ dì yī cì ___ shì zài ___.

The first time I ___ was ___.

Meaning: The first time I ___ was ___. (我第一次___是在___. (Wǒ dì yī cì ___ shì zài ___.))

When to use: Use this to introduce the first occurrence. Put the action after 第一次 and the time/place after 是在.

我第一次出国是在二十岁，那次旅行改变了我。

Wǒ dì yī cì chūguó shì zài èrshí suì, nà cì lǚxíng gǎibiàn le wǒ.

The first time I went abroad was at twenty; that trip changed me.

我第一次学开车是在我爸爸教我的时候。

Wǒ dì yī cì xué kāichē shì zài wǒ bàba jiào wǒ de shíhou.

The first time I learned to drive was when my dad taught me.

在那之前，我从来没___过。

Zài nà zhīqián, wǒ cónglái méi ___ guo.

I had never ___ before.

Meaning: Before that, I had never ___. (在那之前，我从来没___过。 (Zài nà zhīqián, wǒ cónglái méi ___ guo.))

When to use: Use this to stress that something was new before a particular event. It emphasizes 'never before' in your experience.

Tip: Don't add 了 right after 没 — the correct is 从来没___过 (cónglái méi ___ guo) to express 'had never'.

在那之前，我从来没飞过，现在我喜欢旅行。

Zài nà zhīqián, wǒ cónglái méi fēi guo, xiànzài wǒ xǐhuan lǚxíng.

Before that, I had never flown; now I like traveling.

在那之前，我从来没做过公开演讲，开始很紧张。

Zài nà zhīqián, wǒ cónglái méi zuò guo gōngkāi yǎnjiǎng, kāishǐ hěn jǐnzhāng.

Before that, I'd never done public speaking and was very nervous at first.

我没想到会___。

Wǒ méi xiǎngdào huì ___.

I didn’t expect to ___.

Meaning: I didn’t expect to ___. (我没想到会___. (Wǒ méi xiǎngdào huì ___.))

When to use: Use this when a result surprised you. This phrase expresses that the outcome was unexpected.

我没想到会遇到这么好的老师，真幸运。

Wǒ méi xiǎngdào huì yù dào zhème hǎo de lǎoshī, zhēn xìngyùn.

I didn't expect to meet such a great teacher — very lucky.

我没想到会下雨，所以忘了带伞，结果淋湿了。

Wǒ méi xiǎngdào huì xià yǔ, suǒyǐ wàng le dài sǎn, jiéguǒ lín shī le.

I didn't expect it to rain, so I forgot my umbrella and got soaked.

之后，我就___了。

Zhīhòu, wǒ jiù ___ le.

After that, I ___.

Meaning: After that, I ___. (之后，我就___了。 (Zhīhòu, wǒ jiù ___ le.))

When to use: Use this to continue a story and describe what happened next. You can often use short actions after 就.

那天发生事故后，之后，我就搬到别的城市了。

Nà tiān fāshēng shìgù hòu, zhīhòu, wǒ jiù bān dào bié de chéngshì le.

After the accident that day, I moved to another city.

会议很长，之后，我就直接回家休息了。

Huìyì hěn cháng, zhīhòu, wǒ jiù zhíjiē huí jiā xiūxi le.

The meeting was long; after that, I went straight home to rest.

我记得___

Wǒ jìde ___.

I remember ___.

Meaning: I remember ___. (我记得___. (Wǒ jìde ___.))

When to use: Use this to recall a detail or memory from the past. It introduces something you can clearly picture or remember.

我记得那天的天空特别蓝，大家都很开心。

Wǒ jìde nà tiān de tiānkōng tèbié lán, dàjiā dōu hěn kāixīn.

I remember the sky was especially blue that day and everyone was happy.

我记得她第一次来我家时带了小礼物。

Wǒ jìde tā dì yī cì lái wǒ jiā shí dài le xiǎo lǐwù.

I remember she brought a small gift the first time she came to my house.

那是我有过的最棒的___之一。

Nà shì wǒ yǒu guo de zuì bàng de ___ zhī yī.

It was one of the best ___ I’ve ever had.

Meaning: It was one of the best ___ I’ve ever had. (那是我有过的最棒的___之一。 (Nà shì wǒ yǒu guo de zuì bàng de ___ zhī yī.))

When to use: Use this to summarize the emotional value of a past experience. Put a noun like 经历, 旅行, or 周末 in the blank.

那是我有过的最棒的旅行之一，我们每天都很开心。

Nà shì wǒ yǒu guo de zuì bàng de lǚxíng zhī yī, wǒmen měi tiān dōu hěn kāixīn.

It was one of the best trips I've ever had; we were happy every day.

那是我有过的最棒的夏天之一，我学会了冲浪。

Nà shì wǒ yǒu guo de zuì bàng de xiàtiān zhī yī, wǒ xuéhuì le chōnglàng.

It was one of the best summers I've had; I learned to surf.

几年前，我___。

Jǐ nián qián, wǒ ___.

A few years ago, I ___.

Meaning: A few years ago, I ___. (几年前，我___. (Jǐ nián qián, wǒ ___.))

When to use: Use this to introduce a past experience in a simple, general way. It signals a past timeframe.

几年前，我搬到现在的城市开始工作。

Jǐ nián qián, wǒ bān dào xiànzài de chéngshì kāishǐ gōngzuò.

A few years ago I moved to this city to start working.

几年前，我学会了做饭，现在常常自己做晚饭。

Jǐ nián qián, wǒ xuéhuì le zuòfàn, xiànzài chángcháng zìjǐ zuò wǎnfàn.

A few years ago I learned to cook; now I often make dinner myself.

我曾经___

Wǒ céngjīng ___.

I once ___.

Meaning: I once ___. (我曾经___. (Wǒ céngjīng ___.))

When to use: Use this to mention a single past event or experience. Informal alternatives: 我有一次___ (wǒ yǒu yīcì ___).

我曾经骑自行车旅行一个月，那是一段难忘的经历。

Wǒ céngjīng qí zìxíngchē lǚxíng yī gè yuè, nà shì yī duàn nánwàng de jīnglì.

I once cycled on a trip for a month; it was unforgettable.

我曾经参加过一个语言交换项目，收获很多朋友。

Wǒ céngjīng cānjiā guo yī gè yǔyán jiāohuàn xiàngmù, shōuhuò hěn duō péngyou.

I once joined a language exchange program and made many friends.

结果我最后___。

Jiéguǒ wǒ zuìhòu ___.

I ended up ___.

Meaning: I ended up ___. (结果我最后___. (Jiéguǒ wǒ zuìhòu ___.))

When to use: Use this to describe an unexpected or final result in a past story.

计划变了很多，结果我最后还是决定留下来工作。

Jìhuà biàn le hěn duō, jiéguǒ wǒ zuìhòu háishi juédìng liú xiàlai gōngzuò.

Plans changed a lot; I ended up deciding to stay and work.

我们本来想去海边，结果我最后生病了，只好在家休息。

Wǒmen běnlái xiǎng qù hǎibiān, jiéguǒ wǒ zuìhòu shēngbìng le, zhǐhǎo zài jiā xiūxi.

We planned to go to the beach, but I ended up getting sick and had to rest at home.

Simplified Chinese - Past Experiences

1. Reading + Listening Practice

2. Conversational Listening Practice

3. Guided Practice

Which Chinese sentence means 'I had never ___ before'?

Which sentence asks 'Have you ever ridden a hot-air balloon?'

Which phrase best completes the sentence: 'After that, I ___'?

Which sentence expresses 'It was one of the best trips I've ever had'?

That happened when I was ten years old, and I still remember it.

Before that trip, I had never been abroad; the first time I was nervous.

His first time abroad was when he started university; I didn't expect it would change his life.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice