Comparison: aspectual particles guo 过/過 and le 了1

The aspectual particles guo 过/過 and le 了 1 always follow the verb in a sentence, and they are often used to place events in the past. However, guo 过/過 is used to indicate that an action has been experienced at least once in the past; while le 了 1 is used to indicate an action that has occurred or has been completed in the past, usually in a specified time, but also in the present or future.

Structure

For explanation of the structure, check Aspectual particles guo 过/過 and Aspectual particles le 了1

Differences

1. Guo 过/過 and le 了1 placing events in the past

Guo 过/過 often occurs in sentences that convey the idea of having experienced an action at least once in the past; le 了often occurs in sentences to indicate the occurrence or the completion of an action.

她去过中国两次。

她去過中國兩次。

Tā qù guo Zhōngguó liǎng cì.

She has been to China twice.

(Guo 过/過 focuses on having been experienced going to China twice in the past.)

她去了中国两次。

她去了中國兩次。

Tā qù le Zhōngguó liǎng cì.

She went to China twice.

(Le 了 only indicates that the completion of the action of going to China twice.)

The modal particle le 了, also called le 了2, can also appear together with the aspectual particles guo 过/過 or le 了 1 in a sentence. The presence of both the modal and the aspectual particle le 了 in a sentence emphasizes the completion of the action or its relevance to the present. The presence of the modal particle le 了2 in a sentence with the aspectual particle guo 过/過 only adds emphasis to that experience.

她去了中国两次了。

她去了中國兩次了。

Tā qù le Zhōngguó liǎng cì le.

She went to China twice.

(She is probably still in China now.)

她去过中国两次了。

她去過中國兩次了。

Tā qù guo Zhōngguó liǎng cì le.

She has been to China twice.

(She is not in China now.)

Finally, guo 过/過 and le 了 cannot be used for actions that are performed regularly, such as past routines or habitual activities.

我早上喝两杯咖啡。

我早上喝兩杯咖啡。

Wǒ zǎoshang hē liǎng bēi kāfēi.

I (usually) drink two cups of coffee in the morning.

(This is a habitual action, meaning the speaker regularly drinks two cups of coffee every morning, so le 了 or guo 过/過 are not used.)

我以前早上喝两杯咖啡。

我以前早上喝兩杯咖啡。

Wǒ yǐqián zǎoshang hē liǎng bēi kāfēi.

I used to drink two cups of coffee in the morning.

(This is a past routine, and even though it is no longer happening, the sentence still describes a habitual action rather than a single completed event, so le 了 or guo 过/過 are not used.)

我早上喝了两杯咖啡。

我早上喝了兩杯咖啡。

Wǒ zǎoshang hē le liǎng bēi kāfēi.

I drank two cups of coffee this morning.

(Le 了 indicates the completion of a specific event. The speaker is referring to a particular instance of drinking coffee in the morning.)

我早上喝过这种咖啡。

我早上喝過這種咖啡。

Wǒ zǎoshang hē guo zhè zhǒng kāfēi.

I've drunk this type of coffee in the morning.

(Guo 过/過 indicates that the speaker has had the experience of drinking this type of coffee in the morning. The focus is on the experience rather than a specific completed event.)

2. Le 了1 expressing the order of actions in sequence

Le 了 can be used to indicate that two actions occur in sequence. It indicates that a second action occurs after a previous action is completed. However, the actions are not necessarily realized in the past; they may also occur in the future. In general, the second clause is introduced by the adverbs jiù 就 ‘immediately’ or cái 才 ‘only then’. In such cases, guo 过/過 cannot be used.

我吃了早饭就走。

我吃了早飯就走。

Wǒ chī le zǎofàn jiù zǒu.

I will leave (right) after having had breakfast.

我吃了早饭才走。

我吃了早飯才走。

Wǒ chī le zǎofàn cái zǒu.

I will leave (only) after having had breakfast. / I left (only) after having had breakfast.

To indicate that the second action (the one after jiù 就 and cái 才) has also happened, the particle le 了 appears at the end of the sentence with jiù 就, but it is usually avoided with cái 才, because the action after it is often perceived as having already occurred within the sequence of events.

我吃了早饭就走了。

我吃了早飯就走了。

Wǒ chī le zǎofàn jiù zǒu le.

I left (right) after having had breakfast.

我吃了早饭才走(了)。

我吃了早飯才走(了)。

Wǒ chī le zǎofàn cái zǒu (le).

I left only after having had breakfast.