ABSTRACT
Guo is inserted after some verbs to indicate that something happened in the definite past, but not with a specific date. The emphasis is on the past experience as opposed to when it happened. Expressions denoting past times (e.g. last year, yesterday) are usually not used together with guo. A verb plus guo is the equivalent of the English expressions to have been to . . . or to have done something. For example:
Nm qù guo Zhdngguó ma? Have you ever been to China? Wn chc guo Yìdàlì fàn. I have had Italian food.
