冇/未+V+過

Negated Experiential

Level 2

To say you have never experienced something in Cantonese, place 冇 (mou5) or 未 (mei6) before the verb, and attach the experiential particle 過 (gwo3) right after the verb. Use 冇 (mou5) for a neutral statement of fact, or 未 (mei6) if you haven't done it yet.

How It Works

The pattern 冇 / 未 + Verb + 過 expresses the negation of experiential aspect in Cantonese, translating to 'have never [V-ed]' or 'have not [V-ed] yet'.

1. Sentence Structure
The standard word order is: [Subject] + 冇 / 未 + [Verb] + 過 + (Object).
The particle 過 (gwo3) acts as a verbal suffix and must appear directly after the verb, before any direct object (e.g., 讀過大學, not 讀大學過).

2. 冇 (mou5) vs. 未 (mei6) Nuance

  • 未 + V + 過 (mei6 + V + gwo3): Means 'have not done [yet]'. It leaves open the expectation or possibility that you might do it in the future.
  • 冇 + V + 過 (mou5 + V + gwo3): Means 'have never done'. It is a neutral statement of past fact without any expectation of future occurrence.

3. Essential Rule: Retaining the Aspect Marker
Learners often incorrectly drop 過 under negation because the perfective marker 咗 (zo2) is always dropped when negated with 冇 (e.g., 我食咗 → 我冇食). However, experiential 過 is never dropped in negative experiential sentences.

4. Verb Restrictions
Experiential 過 is used with action verbs, perception verbs, and experiential predicates (e.g., 去 go, 食 eat, 睇 watch/read, 讀 study, 試 try). Stative verbs like 係 (hai6 - to be) or 喺 (hai2 - to be at) seldom take experiential 過.

Examples (4)

  1. 我未讀過大學。

    I have never attended university [yet].

    Word by Word: I not-yet attend experiential university

    未 (mei6) indicates that attending university hasn't happened yet, leaving open the possibility.

  2. 我冇去過日本。

    I have never been to Japan.

    Word by Word: I not-have go experiential Japan

    冇 (mou5) states a neutral factual negation of past experience.

  3. 佢哋未試過呢種水果。

    They haven't tried this kind of fruit yet.

    Word by Word: they not-yet try experiential this classifier fruit

    過 (gwo3) attaches directly to the main verb 試 (si3, to try) before the object 呢種水果 (this kind of fruit).

  4. 我從來冇睇過呢套戲。

    I have never watched this movie before.

    Word by Word: I ever not-have watch experiential this classifier movie

    從來 (cung4 loi4, ever/all along) is frequently paired with 冇 + V + 過 for extra emphasis.

Common Mistakes

  • 我未去日本 is natural, but it means 'I have not left for Japan yet', not 'I have never been'.

    Different Meaning我未去日本。
    我未去過日本。

    While 咗 (zo2) must be dropped under negation, experiential 過 (gwo3) must be kept. Saying '我未去日本' means 'I haven't left for Japan yet (on this trip)', whereas '我未去過日本' means 'I have never been to Japan in my life'.

  • Using 唔 (m4) instead of 冇 (mou5) or 未 (mei6) for past experience

    我唔去過日本。
    我冇去過日本。

    唔 (m4) negates habits, future actions, or willingness. To negate past experience, you must use 冇 (mou5) or 未 (mei6).

  • Placing 過 (gwo3) after the direct object

    我未去日本過。
    我未去過日本。

    In Cantonese, aspect markers like 過 (gwo3) attach immediately after the verb, before any direct object.

How It Connects

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冇/未+V+過Level 2Negated Experiential

Learn This First

To understand the negated experiential pattern, you first need to understand the positive experiential marker '過'. You also need to be familiar with the two primary ways to negate past actions or states in Cantonese using '冇' (did not/have not) and '未' (not yet).

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