Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā yě qù guo Shànghǎi.

过 marks experiential aspect: it says the subject has the experience of doing the action at least once before. It doesn’t locate the event in time or emphasize completion of a specific event—just that it has happened at some point. A common contrast is with the negative pattern 没/没有 + V + 过 (no such experience).

How is 去过 different from 去了?

去过: experiential (“has been to”). Vague about when; focuses on the existence of prior experience.
去了: completion of a specific going event (“went,” often a particular occasion). Examples:
她去过上海。 = she has the experience.
她去年去了上海。 = she went last year (a specific trip). You can combine 去过 with sentence-final 了 for a “now it’s the case” feeling: 她也去过上海了.

Where does 也 go, and why is it before the verb?

In modern Mandarin, 也 typically sits right before the predicate it modifies: Subject + 也 + Verb (+ 过) + Object. It cannot go at the end of the sentence. With other adverbials:

Time usually precedes 也: 她以前也去过上海。
With negation, 也 precedes the negator: 她也没去过上海。
With degree/time adverbs: 她也已经去过上海了。

How do I negate this idea (hasn’t been to Shanghai), and can I make “either” with 也?

Use 没/没有 with 过:

她没去过上海。 = She hasn’t been to Shanghai. To say “either/also not,” keep 也 before the negation:
她也没去过上海。 = She hasn’t been to Shanghai either. Don’t use 不 for negating 过; 不 is for general/habitual or future volition.

How do I make a yes–no question?

Three common ways:

Add 吗: 她也去过上海吗？
Use 有没有 + 去过: 她有没有去过上海？
A-not-A on the main verb is uncommon with 过, so prefer the two above. Short-answer follow-ups: 去过 / 没去过.

What’s the difference between 也 and 都 here?

也 = “also/too,” adding one more case to an existing context (another person, place, etc.). Works with singular subjects.
都 = “all/both,” used with plural/collective subjects to mean everyone/everything in the set.
Don’t normally stack them; if you have a group, 他们都去过上海 is enough. Use 也 to add an additional item relative to something mentioned before.

Could I say 她也去了上海 instead? What changes?

Yes, but it shifts meaning. 她也去了上海 reports a specific completed trip (“she also went to Shanghai [on that occasion]”). 她也去过上海 highlights the experience existing in her past, not a particular trip.

Can I use 到 or 来 instead of 去?

到过上海: also “has been to (arrived at) Shanghai,” with a slight emphasis on arrival; a bit more formal or written.
来过上海: “has come to Shanghai (before),” used when Shanghai is the speaker’s or discourse center’s location/orientation (“come” vs “go” perspective).
For neutral “been to,” 去过 is very common.

Does 过 always come right after the verb?

Yes, as an aspect marker it follows the verb: 去过上海, 看过这部电影, 吃过北京烤鸭. It does not follow the object. If there’s a result/directional complement, 过 comes after the main verb but before the object: 去过上海, not “去上海过”.

How do I add “already” or sentence-final 了?

Put 已经 before the verb: 她也已经去过上海了。
Sentence-final 了 can mark a new situation/change-of-state (“now it’s also the case”). Word order tip: Subject + 也 + 已经 + 去过 + Object + 了.

How do I say how many times she’s been?

Add a frequency phrase after the object:

她也去过上海三次。 (general “times”)
她也去过上海两趟。 (classifier 趟 suits trips/journeys) You can add time words too: 她去年也去过上海两次。

Does this sentence imply she is not in Shanghai now?

Not necessarily. 去过 talks about past experience and says nothing about her current location. If you are in Shanghai and want to stress “has come here before,” 来过 fits the speaker’s vantage point: 她来过上海.

What’s the role of 上海 with 去? Why no preposition “to”?

Motion verbs like 去 directly take a destination as their object/complement: 去上海. Mandarin doesn’t need a preposition equivalent to “to” here. For non-motion verbs, location is usually marked with 在: e.g., 她在上海工作.

Any pronunciation tips for the words here?

她 tā (first tone)
也 yě (third tone; often pronounced as a “half-third” in flow)
去 qù (fourth tone)
过 guo (neutral tone as an aspect marker; when it’s the full verb “to pass,” it’s guò, fourth tone)
上海 Shànghǎi (fourth + third) Note: 他/她/它 are all pronounced tā; the gender distinction is only in writing.

Can I use 过 with any verb? What about 是?

过 attaches to dynamic actions (visit, see, eat, live, work). It doesn’t naturally pair with the copula 是. Say 当过老师 (“have served as a teacher”) or 住过上海 (“have lived in Shanghai”), not “是过老师/上海人”.

Can I front the place for emphasis?

Yes, topicalize the place while keeping 也 before the predicate:

上海她也去过。 (emphasizes “Shanghai” as an additional place) The core predicate remains 也 + 去过.