了 vs 过 (le vs guò): completion vs experience aspect
了 and 过 are Chinese aspect particles placed after verbs. 了 marks a specific action as completed or a change of state, often tied to a particular time. 过 marks that an action has been experienced at least once, emphasizing the occurrence rather than when it happened. The core difference is completion of a specific event (了) versus having ever done something (过).
了 and 过 both attach to verbs to talk about past events, but they highlight different perspectives. 了 indicates that an action has been completed (perfective aspect), often in a specific context or at a definite time. 过 indicates that someone has experienced an action at any point in the past (experiential aspect), without focusing on when. For example, '我吃饭了' means 'I ate (the meal)', while '我吃过饭' means 'I have eaten (before)'. Negation and question patterns differ as well: use 没 to negate 了, and 没 … 过 to negate 过.
When to use each
Use 了 to mark a specific action as completed, often with a clear time frame or sequence (e.g., 昨天, 今天早上, 然后). It can also indicate a change of state or that something is about to happen (要...了). It is commonly used with verbs of consumption, movement, or change.
了 can appear both after verbs (verb + le) and at the end of a sentence (sentential le). The sentence-final 了 often implies a change of state or current relevance, not just past action.
Use 过 to express that someone has had the experience of doing something at least once before. It does not specify when the action happened, only that it happened in the past. It is common in questions like '…过吗？' and in statements with 没/没有…过.
过 cannot be used with a specific time like '昨天' (yesterday) or '去年' (last year) unless the focus is on the experience relative to that time (rare). It is often used with vague time expressions like '曾经' (céngjīng, once) or '以前' (yǐqián, before).
At a glance
| 了 | 过 | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus of action | Completion of a specific event | Experience of an action (ever done) |
| Use with specific time words (e.g., 昨天, 去年) | Normal: 我昨天吃了午饭 | Unnatural: ✗ 我昨天去过北京 (should use 了) |
| Negation | 没 + verb + 了: 我没吃饭 | 没 + verb + 过: 我没去过北京 |
| Question form | verb + 了 + 吗？ or verb + 没有？ | verb + 过 + 吗？ or verb + 过 + 没有？ |
| Can co-occur with the other particle? | 过 can be followed by 了: 我去过北京了 | 了 is not followed by 过 |
Examples
- 了我吃了午饭。Wǒ chī le wǔfàn.I ate lunch.了 marks the completion of a specific meal.
- 过你吃过北京烤鸭吗？Nǐ chī guò Běijīng kǎoyā ma?Have you ever eaten Peking duck?过 asks if you have had the experience.
- 了他去年去了上海。Tā qùnián qù le Shànghǎi.He went to Shanghai last year.Specific past time (去年) calls for 了, not 过.
- 过我没吃过四川火锅。Wǒ méi chī guò Sìchuān huǒguō.I have never eaten Sichuan hotpot.Experience negation: 没 … 过.
- 了我已经吃过饭了。Wǒ yǐjīng chī guò fàn le.I have already eaten (and now I don't need to eat).Both 过 and 了: 过 indicates experience, sentence-final 了 adds current relevance.
Common mistakes
- Using 过 with a specific time like '昨天' to mean a single, completed action: '我昨天去过公园' should be '我昨天去了公园'.
- Using 了 instead of 过 to talk about general past experience: '我吃了北京烤鸭' (I ate Peking duck, a specific instance) should be '我吃过北京烤鸭' if you mean 'I have eaten it before'.
- Using 了 in negation: '我没去了' is wrong; correct is '我没去' (negate 了 by dropping it).
- Forgetting to use 过 after a verb in experiential questions: '你去北京吗？' (Are you going to Beijing?) vs '你去过北京吗？' (Have you ever been to Beijing?).
FAQ
- When do I use 了 vs 过?
- Use 了 when talking about a specific action that was completed at a particular time (e.g., '我昨天吃了晚饭'). Use 过 when talking about whether you have ever done something before, without focusing on when (e.g., '我吃过晚饭' means 'I have eaten dinner before', not necessarily recently).
- Can I use 了 and 过 together in the same sentence?
- Yes, you can. When 过 and 了 appear together (verb + 过 + le), it emphasizes both that the action has been experienced and that it is relevant to the current situation. For example, '我去过北京了' means 'I have been to Beijing (and now I’m back / the experience is complete).'
- How do I negate a sentence with 过?
- Use 没 (or 没有) before the verb and keep 过 after the verb. For example, '我没去过上海' = 'I have never been to Shanghai.' Do not add 了 after 过 in negation.
- Does 过 have other meanings besides the experiential aspect?
- Yes. 过 can also be a verb meaning 'to cross' or 'to exceed' (e.g., 过河 'cross the river'), or a resultative complement meaning 'through' (e.g., 走过路 'walk across the road'). The experiential particle is a separate grammatical usage.