Grammar Review: Past Experience Particle “过/過”
V. + 过 / 過 indicates that someone has had the experience of doing something.
我去过中国。/ 我去過中國。I have been to China.
我吃过北京烤鸭。/ 我吃過北京烤鴨。
I have had the experience of eating Beijing Duck.
V. + “过/過” pattern emphasizes the “experience” rather than the completion of the action.
我喝过中国茶。/ 我喝過中國茶。
I do have the experience of drinking Chinese tea.
我喝了一杯中国茶。/ 我喝了一杯中國茶。
I did drink that tea. It was one cup of Chinese tea.
Negation: 没(有) + V. + 过/ 過
我没喝过中国茶，我喝过日本茶。
我沒喝過中國茶，我喝過日本茶。
Interrogative form:
…… V. 过/ 過 ……吗 / 嗎？
…… V. 过/ 過 ……没有/ 沒有？
…… V. (过/ 過) 沒 V. 过/ 過……?
…… 有沒有V. 过/ 過 …….?
过/ 過 and 了
过/ 過 is explanatory in nature. It is used to explain the rationale behind an action mentioned in a separate clause.
我和他在一起学过中文，我知道他中文很好。
我和他在一起學過中文，我知道他中文很好。
你今天为什么没去看电影？- 那个电影我看过了。
你今天爲什麽沒去看電影？- 那個電影我看過了。
了 is descriptive in nature, and is used to describe the realization of an action.
昨天晚上，我在小明家喝了两瓶啤酒。
过/ 過 and 了 in the same sentence without time-when expression.
The “V. 过/ 過” indicates the past experience, and the “了” UP TILL NOW.
我吃过晚饭了。/ 我吃過晚飯了。 I have already had my dinner.
我看过这本书了。我看過這本書了。 I've already read this book.
过/ 過 in a sentence with time-when expression
In a sentence without time-when expression, it is equivalent to the present perfect tense in English. But过/ 過 can also be used in sentences with time-when expression.
昨天晚上他去过小明家。/ 昨天晚上他去過小明家。
He did go to Little Ming's house last night.
It's still a straight past tense, but there is a little more emphasis on the experiential nature than the descriptive nature of the action. There is no way to render this subtlety in English.