了 and 过

Hanzi Tools · Learning guide · Updated 6 November 2026

过 commonly marks experience. 了 commonly presents a particular realized event. Neither is simply the English past tense.

Compare the examples

我去过上海。

I have been to Shanghai.

我昨天去了上海。

I went to Shanghai yesterday.

Try it yourself

Which sentence asks about a life experience?

1. 你去过中国吗？
2. 你昨天去中国了吗？

Practise in context

Write a sentence about something that happened to you, using this pattern. Keep the first version short so you can check the word order. Then change one part, such as the time, person or object, and compare what the new sentence means.

Use the grammar exercises for another comparison. You can paste your example into the Chinese reader to check words and pinyin. An automatic reading is a reference; it cannot settle every question of meaning or naturalness.