Talk about an experience and a current action

A useful situation

• Your goal: Distinguish having done something before from doing it now.
• Before you start, recall to go去qù, go, and simple actions such as study学习xuéxí, study. Distinguish an experience at some earlier time from an action currently happening; context supplies relevant times.

Words you will use

• experience marker过guo guo — experience marker. I / me我wǒto go去qùexperience marker过guoShanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi。
• in the process of正在zhèngzài zhèngzài — in the process of. I / me我wǒin the process of正在zhèngzàistudy学习xuéxí。
• last year去年qùnián qùnián — last year. I / me我wǒlast year去年qùniánto go去qùexperience marker过guoShanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi。
• study学习xuéxí xuéxí — study. I / me我wǒin the process of正在zhèngzàistudy学习xuéxíChinese language中文zhōng wén。
• before以前yǐqián yǐqián — before. I / me我wǒbefore以前yǐqiánto go去qùexperience marker过guo。

Build the meaning

• Verb + experience marker过guo can describe an experience: I / me我wǒto go去qùexperience marker过guoShanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi. not / haven't没méito go去qùexperience marker过guo denies having that experience; it does not deny knowing the city’s name.
• in the process of正在zhèngzài + verb describes an action in progress: I / me我wǒin the process of正在zhèngzàistudy学习xuéxí. A time expression helps identify when a different event happened.

Work through a decision: I / me我wǒlast year去年qùniánto go去qùexperience marker过guoBeijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng，now现在xiàn zàiin the process of正在zhèngzàischool学校xué xiàostudy学习xuéxí — I have been to Beijing, last year; now I am studying at school. to go去qùexperience marker过guo supplies the earlier travel experience, last year去年qùnián places it last year and now现在xiàn zàiin the process of正在zhèngzàistudy学习xuéxí gives the current activity. The earlier city is not automatically the person’s present location.

Compare a plausible mistake: I / me我wǒto go去qùexperience marker过guoShanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi reports an experience; I / me我wǒin the process of正在zhèngzàistudy学习xuéxíChinese language中文zhōng wén describes studying Chinese now. Do not translate every English past-tense verb by adding experience marker过guo. A lack of experience also does not mean an action is impossible in the future.

Listen for a fresh detail

• Listen before revealing the script.
• Replay if you need to. This is practice: if playback is unavailable, use the script as reading and return to listening on a device with Mandarin playback.

Read a different account

Wang Li (1900-1986), one of…王力wáng lìlast year去年qùniánto go去qùexperience marker过guoShanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi。林安lín ānnot / haven't没méito go去qùexperience marker过guoShanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi。today今天jīn tiānWang Li (1900-1986), one of…王力wáng lìin the process of正在zhèngzàistudy学习xuéxíChinese language中文zhōng wén，林安lín ānin the process of正在zhèngzàito read看书kàn shū。

• The reading and listening have different details. Use the material for the question you are answering.
• Read once for the situation, then again for the relevant detail. Reveal help when needed.

Speak, write, and review

• Ask whether a partner has been to a city, then ask what they are doing now.
• Record yourself privately or work with a partner. First try without the model, then compare the meaning and structure; a text checker cannot assess your pronunciation.

• Write one experience sentence and one current-action sentence.
• Tomorrow, recall one past-experience account and one current activity. Later, negate the experience and change the activity. Explain why neither statement alone predicts future achievement or travel.

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