Chinese Grammar - How To Speak About “The Past" in Chinese

I love learning languages. Korean was my second language. When I learned how to speak about the past in Korean, it took my speaking and understanding skills to a whole new level. Now that I'm learning Chinese, I thought learning how to speak of the past tense is just as important. So I came across an interesting way to say it. In Chinese, you have to use the word, "过" (guo4). It is used to relay past experiences. Using "了" is different because it emphasizes an action that has already taken place.

Ex 1. 过
Who has this kind of experience? - 谁有过这样的经历? (shei2 you3guo4 zhe4yang4 de jingli4)

Ex. 2
Have you seen this person before? - 你见过那个人吗? (Ni3 jian4guo4 na4 ge4 ren2 ma)

To take this a step further, I learned you could take the same grammatical structure and make it negative.

I have never that person before. - 我没见过那个人. (wo3 mei2 jian4 guo4 na4 ge4 ren2)

The way my mind works, I wonder if you can even make this same sentence a double negative.

Have you not seen this person before? (你没见过那个人吗?)
It makes sense to me. Maybe one day I'll use it on a Chinese native speaker and see what kind of response I'll get. :-) Now onto words I have to remember.

*Words To Remember*

需要 (xuyao4) - to need

I have to go home right now. - 我现在就需要回家 (wo3 xian4zai4 jiu4 xuyao4 hui2jia4)

刀叉 (dao cha) - knife and fork

He can only use a knife and fork to eat - 他只会用刀叉吃饭.

用 (yong4) to use

Let me use your cell phone. - 借我用用你的手机. (jie4 wo3 yong4 yong4 ni3 de shou3ji)

筷子 (kuai4zi) - chopsticks

He can use chopsticks - 他会用筷子. (ta hui4 yong4 kuai4zi)

从来 (cong2 lai2) - ever before

I have never used a kinfe and fork. - 我从来没用过刀叉. - (wo3 cong2 lai2 mei2 yong4guo4 daocha)

汤 (tang) - soup

Do you like drinking soup? 你喜欢喝汤吗? (ni3 xi3huan he tang ma)

勺儿 (shao2 er2) - Spoon

Give me a soup spoon. 给我一把汤勺儿. (gei3 wo3 yi ba3 shao2 er2)