Traditional Chinese course

Lesson 120 of 240

New here? This is lesson 120 of a free 240-lesson Traditional Chinese course.

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Have you ever in Traditional Chinese

At Banyan Breakfast, Maya is curious about A-Li's familiar face and asks whether he has been here before. He answers that he is just passing by, as usual.

Use 過 to talk about experiences before now: places you have visited, food you have tried, films you have seen, and things you learned.

You'll ask and answer simple experience questions, while A-Li's soy milk remains unfinished and the fortune slip stays unexplained.

By the end of this lesson

Ask whether someone has done something before and say that you have or have not had an experience.

  • 我去過臺南I've been to Tainan.
  • 你吃過臭豆腐嗎？Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?
  • 我沒吃過I've never eaten it.
  • 我看過這部電影I've seen this movie.
  • 我以前學過一點日文I learned some Japanese before.
  • 你來過這裡嗎？Have you been here before?

Scene — a familiar face

Morning is busy at Banyan Breakfast in Da'an. Maya chats with A-Li, who is at his usual table with two stools and an unfinished soy milk.

She has questions about his past visits and their experiences. A-Li gives his familiar passing-by answer; the fortune slip stays folded in the till.

Maya chats with A-Li at his usual two-stool table in a busy morning breakfast shop while Auntie Lin tends the till.

Learn — talking about experience

過 follows an action to ask whether it has happened in your experience before now. For a negative experience, say 沒…過.

Listen for 過 in each line, then notice how the place, food, film, or learned subject makes the experience specific.

  1. Maya tells A-Li she has been to Tainan while they sit at the breakfast table.

    我去過臺南

    I've been to Tainan.

    When to use it: Say this when you have visited Tainan before.

    過 after 去 marks a past experience, without saying exactly when it happened.

  2. Maya asks A-Li whether he has ever eaten stinky tofu as he listens across the table.

    你吃過臭豆腐嗎？

    Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?

    When to use it: Ask whether someone has tried stinky tofu before.

    過 after 吃 asks about the experience; 嗎 makes the line a yes-or-no question.

  3. A-Li tells Maya he has never eaten stinky tofu and leans away from the cup.

    我沒吃過

    I've never eaten it.

    When to use it: Use this to say you have never tried the food being discussed.

    沒…過 says that an experience has never happened.

  4. Maya holds out a tablet toward A-Li to show she has already seen the movie.

    我看過這部電影

    I've seen this movie.

    When to use it: Say this when you have watched the movie before.

    過 after 看 marks a movie seen before now, not a specific time.

  5. Maya tells Auntie Lin and A-Li that she learned some Japanese before.

    我以前學過一點日文

    I learned some Japanese before.

    When to use it: Say this to mention some Japanese you studied in the past.

    以前 places the experience in the past, while 過 says it happened before.

  6. A folded fortune slip rests in the till while Maya asks A-Li whether he has been to this breakfast shop before.

    你來過這裡嗎？

    Have you been here before?

    When to use it: Ask someone whether they have visited this place before.

    過 after 來 asks about a previous visit; 嗎 marks it as a yes-or-no question.

Story — A-Li at breakfast

At Banyan Breakfast, Maya and A-Li compare places, food, films, and things learned. She finally asks if he has been to this shop before.

His answer is casual, and his soy milk is still waiting.

  1. Auntie Lin美女，早安！Good morning, beautiful!
  2. Maya你好。Hello.
  3. A-Li你去過臺南嗎？Have you been to Tainan?
  4. Maya我去過臺南。I've been to Tainan.
  5. Maya你吃過臭豆腐嗎？Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?
  6. A-Li我沒吃過。I've never eaten it.
  7. Auntie Lin你以前學過日文嗎？Did you study Japanese before?
  8. Maya我以前學過一點日文。I learned some Japanese before.
  9. Auntie Lin你看過這部電影嗎？Have you seen this movie?
  10. Maya我看過這部電影。I've seen this movie.
  11. Maya我在學中文。I'm studying Chinese.
  12. Maya你來過這裡嗎？Have you been here before?
  13. A-Li我只是路過。I'm just passing by.
  14. Auntie Lin豆漿還沒喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.

Practice — ask about the past

Try nine short exercises about things people have done or have never done. Choose, build, and complete lines about places, food, films, and learning.

Pay attention to who asks each question, then give an answer that fits the experience.

0 of 9 done

  1. What does it mean?

    我去過臺南

  2. What do you say?

    Ask A-Li whether he has ever eaten stinky tofu.

  3. Build the line

    I've never eaten it.

    Tap the words in order.

  4. Fill the gap

    I've seen this movie.

    我____過這部電影

  5. What do you say?

    Tell Auntie Lin that you learned a little Japanese before.

  6. What did you hear?

  7. Pick the reply

    Auntie Lin says:

    你吃過臭豆腐嗎？

    Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?

    And you reply with:

  8. What does it mean?

    你好

  9. What do you say?

    Tell Auntie Lin that you are studying Chinese now.

Say it — your past experiences

You are Maya at the breakfast shop. Listen to each neighbor, then answer about your past experiences or ask whether A-Li has been here before.

Speak one line at a time; the story stays ordinary, and nobody explains the fortune slip.

  1. A-Li asks Maya about a trip she has taken.
  2. A-Li你去過臺南嗎？Have you been to Tainan?
  3. Maya (you)Say that you have been to Tainan.

    我去過臺南

    I've been to Tainan.

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

Traditional ChineseEnglish
我去過臺南I've been to Tainan.
你吃過臭豆腐嗎？Have you ever eaten stinky tofu?
我沒吃過I've never eaten it.
我看過這部電影I've seen this movie.
我以前學過一點日文I learned some Japanese before.
你來過這裡嗎？Have you been here before?
Next: lesson 121When it happened

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