Lesson 13: Talking About the Past

Overview

Chinese has two distinct ways of talking about the past: the completion marker 了 (covered in Lesson 4) and the experiential marker 过 (guò). Where 了 says something happened, 过 says you have had the experience of something at some point in your life. This lesson focuses on 过, the contrast between 以前 and 以后, and vocabulary for discussing memories and life experiences.

Learning Objectives

• Use 过 to express that an experience has been had at some point
• Negate 过 correctly with 没有
• Contrast 以前 (before/in the past) and 以后 (after/in the future) accurately
• Use 曾经 and 记得 to discuss memories naturally

Vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
过	guò	particle	experiential aspect marker	我去过日本。
以前	yǐqián	adv/n	before, in the past	以前我住在农村。
以后	yǐhòu	adv/n	after, in the future	以后我想创业。
记得	jìde	v	to remember	你还记得那件事吗？
忘了	wàng le	v	forgot (colloquial)	我忘了带钥匙。
经历	jīnglì	n/v	experience; to experience	这是一次难忘的经历。
曾经	céngjīng	adv	once, at one time (in the past)	我曾经在那家公司工作过。
变化	biànhuà	n/v	change; to change	这里变化很大。
以为	yǐwéi	v	to mistakenly think/assume	我以为你不来了。
印象	yìnxiàng	n	impression	我对他印象很好。
难忘	nánwàng	adj	unforgettable	那是一次难忘的旅行。
后来	hòulái	adv	later, afterwards	后来他去了北京。
从前	cóngqián	adv	formerly, once upon a time	从前这里是一片农田。
那时候	nà shíhou	phrase	at that time	那时候我才十岁。

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: V + 过 (experiential aspect)

Structure: Subject + Verb + 过 + (Object)

过 placed directly after a verb indicates that the subject has had that experience at some point in their life. It does not specify when. The focus is on whether it has happened, not on the details of when.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我去过中国。	Wǒ qù guò Zhōngguó.	I have been to China.
你吃过北京烤鸭吗？	Nǐ chī guò Běijīng kǎoyā ma?	Have you ever eaten Peking Duck?
她没有学过日语。	Tā méiyǒu xué guò Rìyǔ.	She has never studied Japanese.
我以前住过那个城市。	Wǒ yǐqián zhù guò nà gè chéngshì.	I once lived in that city.

Common mistake: Do not confuse 过 with 了. 我去了中国 means "I went to China" (completed trip). 我去过中国 means "I have been to China" (life experience). The difference matters in context.

Pattern 2: 以前 vs. 以后

Structure:

• (Time/event) + 以前 = before (that time/event), in the past
• (Time/event) + 以后 = after (that time/event), in the future

Both can stand alone at the start of a sentence or follow a time reference.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
以前我不喜欢吃辣的。	Yǐqián wǒ bù xǐhuan chī là de.	I didn't like spicy food in the past.
大学以前，我从来没有出过国。	Dàxué yǐqián, wǒ cónglái méiyǒu chū guò guó.	Before university, I had never gone abroad.
毕业以后打算做什么？	Bìyè yǐhòu dǎsuàn zuò shénme?	What do you plan to do after graduation?
以后我想去很多国家旅游。	Yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng qù hěn duō guójiā lǚyóu.	In the future, I want to travel to many countries.

Common mistake: Do not confuse 以前 with 前面 (in front of, ahead spatially). 以前 is temporal only.

Pattern 3: 曾经 + V (once, at a point in the past)

Structure: Subject + 曾经 + Verb + 过 + (Object)

曾经 is an adverb that emphasizes that something happened at a point in the past, often with a nuance of nostalgic distance or significance. It often pairs with 过.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我曾经在那家公司工作过。	Wǒ céngjīng zài nà jiā gōngsī gōngzuò guò.	I once worked at that company.
他曾经学过钢琴。	Tā céngjīng xué guò gāngqín.	He once studied piano.
我们曾经是很好的朋友。	Wǒmen céngjīng shì hěn hǎo de péngyou.	We were once very good friends.

Dialogue

A: 你去过哪些国家？ Nǐ qù guò nǎxiē guójiā? Which countries have you been to?

B: 我去过日本、泰国还有越南。你呢？ Wǒ qù guò Rìběn, Tàiguó hái yǒu Yuènán. Nǐ ne? I have been to Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. What about you?

A: 我还没有出过国。但是以后我打算去欧洲。 Wǒ hái méiyǒu chū guò guó. Dànshì yǐhòu wǒ dǎsuàn qù Ōuzhōu. I have never been abroad. But I plan to go to Europe in the future.

B: 那你之前有没有住过别的城市？ Nà nǐ zhīqián yǒu méiyǒu zhù guò bié de chéngshì? Have you ever lived in another city?

A: 有！我以前在西安住过三年。那段时间我印象很深。 Yǒu! Wǒ yǐqián zài Xī'ān zhù guò sān nián. Nà duàn shíjiān wǒ yìnxiàng hěn shēn. Yes! I once lived in Xi'an for three years. That period left a deep impression on me.

B: 以前的西安和现在变化大吗？ Yǐqián de Xī'ān hé xiànzài biànhuà dà ma? Has Xi'an changed a lot compared to before?

A: 变化很大！曾经那里只有几条路，现在已经有地铁了。 Biànhuà hěn dà! Céngjīng nàlǐ zhǐ yǒu jǐ tiáo lù, xiànzài yǐjīng yǒu dìtiě le. Hugely! There used to be only a few roads; now it already has a subway.

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank

Use 过, 以前, 以后, or 曾经:

1. 你吃 ______ 火锅吗？(Have you ever eaten hot pot?)
2. ______ 我不喜欢喝咖啡，现在每天都喝。(In the past, I didn't like coffee; now I drink it every day.)
3. 毕业 ______ 你打算做什么？(What do you plan to do after graduation?)
4. 她 ______ 是一名演员，后来转行了。(She was once an actress; later she changed careers.)
5. 我 ______ 见 ______ 这么漂亮的地方。(I have never seen such a beautiful place before.)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

1. Have you ever tried authentic Sichuan food?
2. Before I moved to Beijing, I lived in Chengdu.
3. She once studied medicine but later changed to law.
4. After finishing this project, I plan to take a vacation.

Exercise 3: Answer in Chinese

1. 你去过哪些地方旅游？(Which places have you traveled to?)
2. 你以前学过其他语言吗？(Have you studied any other languages in the past?)
3. 你最难忘的一次经历是什么？(What is your most unforgettable experience?)

Cultural Note

Chinese people often reflect on significant life changes using the contrast between 以前 and 现在 (before and now). This is particularly common when discussing China's rapid development. Older generations frequently talk about how their hometowns have transformed, often using phrases like 以前这里什么都没有 (there used to be nothing here) followed by descriptions of current prosperity. This contrast holds emotional weight for people who lived through China's economic opening and urbanization, and understanding it helps learners connect with Chinese speakers on a deeper, more personal level.