见过

• Pinyin: jiàn guo
• Hanzi breakdown: 见 (jiàn) — to see, to meet; 过 (guo) — experiential aspect marker indicating past experience

Meaning

To have seen; to have met. Indicates the experience of having seen or met someone before.

The experiential aspect marker 过 after 见 indicates that the action happened at some point in the past. Used to talk about whether one has ever seen or met someone or something.

Examples

1. 我以前见过他一次。 I've met him once before.
2. 你见过这么大的鱼吗？ Have you ever seen such a big fish?
3. 她好像在哪里见过我。 She seems to have seen me somewhere before.

Usage Guide

Context: conversations, memories, everyday

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 我见过他，但不记得名字。(I've met him, but I don't remember his name.)
• 你见过雪吗？(Have you ever seen snow?)

Don't Say

• 不要把见过和看过完全等同 (Don't treat 见过 and 看过 as identical — 见过 emphasizes meeting or encountering, while 看过 emphasizes watching or reading)

Origin & History

Compound of 见 (to see, to meet) and 过 (experiential aspect marker). 过 indicates that the action has been experienced at some point.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal