Learn Hardcore Chinese: Guò le jǐ gè yuè, tā zhōngyú shìyìng le xiàoyuán de huánjìng. - After a few months, she finally got used to the campus environment.

过了几个月 – 了 here marks that the action 过 (to pass) is completed: a few months had passed.
适应了校园的环境 – 了 here marks that 适应 (to get used to) is completed: she (finally) adapted to the campus environment.

So the structure is like English:
“After a few months had passed, she finally got used to the campus environment.”

Two completed actions → two 了 are natural.

In 过了几个月, is 过 the verb “to pass” or the aspect marker 过 that means “have done (experiential)”?

Here 过 is a verb, not the experiential aspect marker.

Verb 过 = “to pass (time, a place, etc.)”
- 过了几个月 = “(several) months have passed”
Aspect marker 过 (after a verb) = “have done / have experienced”:
- e.g. 去过中国 = “have been to China”

You can tell it’s the verb because it comes before the time expression 几个月 and is followed by 了. With the experiential marker, you’d have Verb + 过 + Object, not 过 + 了 + Time.

Could we say 几个月以后 or 几个月后 instead of 过了几个月? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

几个月以后，她终于适应了校园的环境。
几个月后，她终于适应了校园的环境。

Differences:

过了几个月 literally: “after a few months have passed” – it feels very natural and slightly more process‑focused (time has passed).
几个月以后 / 几个月后 literally: “after a few months / a few months later” – a bit more neutral / calendar-like.

In everyday speech and writing, all three are common and acceptable. The nuance difference is small; 过了几个月 slightly emphasizes the passage of time.

Why do we need 个 between 几 and 月 in 几个月?

Because in Mandarin, most nouns need a measure word (classifier) when they are counted or quantified.

几 = “a few / several”
月 = “month”
The measure word for “month” in this kind of duration expression is 个.

So:

✅ 几个月 (correct and standard)
❌ 几月 (would usually be understood as “which month?” in a different context, not “a few months”)

Other common time+measure patterns:

三天 (no 个)
三个星期 / 三周
两年 (no 个)

For months of duration, 个 is normally required: 一个月 / 几个月 / 三个月.

Could we move 过了几个月 to after the subject, like 她过了几个月终于适应了校园的环境?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct:

她过了几个月终于适应了校园的环境。

However, the most natural word order in Chinese is often:

Time / setting at the beginning
Then subject + predicate

So:

过了几个月，她终于适应了校园的环境。
feels smoother and more typical than putting 过了几个月 after 她.

You’ll very often see patterns like:

三年以后，他回到了家乡。
那天晚上，我们看了一部电影。

What exactly does 适应 mean, and how is it used?

适应 (shìyìng) means “to adapt (to), to get used to”.

Usage:

It is a verb that directly takes an object:
- 适应环境 – adapt to the environment
- 适应新工作 – get used to a new job
- 适应大学生活 – adapt to university life

In this sentence:

适应了校园的环境 = “(she) got used to the campus environment / adapted to the campus environment.”

You don’t need a preposition before the object in this pattern. It’s simply 适应 + [thing you adapt to].

Do we need 对 before 校园的环境? For example, 适应对校园的环境?

No. In this structure, 适应 takes a direct object, so 对 is not used:

✅ 适应校园的环境
❌ 适应对校园的环境

You can see 对 with 适应 in a different pattern, like:

她对这里的生活很适应。
“She is very well adapted to the life here.”

Two patterns:

适应 + Object
- 适应环境 / 适应新学校
对 + Object + 很适应
- 对新环境很适应

Don’t mix the two.

Why is there a 的 between 校园 and 环境? Could we say 校园环境 instead?

的 links an attributive (modifier) to a noun:

校园的环境 = “the environment of the campus / the campus’s environment”

Both are possible:

校园的环境 – very clear, neutral, slightly more formal.
校园环境 – also common; sounds a bit more like a compact noun phrase or “set phrase”.

In many cases:

X 的 Y ≈ XY as a noun compound, especially with short, simple modifiers.

Here:

校园的环境 and 校园环境 both sound natural. The 的 is optional and doesn’t change the meaning much.

What’s the difference between 校园 and 学校?

Both relate to “school,” but the focus is different:

学校 (xuéxiào) – the school as an institution:
- the organization, the place you attend
- e.g. “my school,” “this school is famous”
校园 (xiàoyuán) – the campus:
- the physical grounds and environment: buildings, lawns, atmosphere
- often used for middle schools, high schools, universities, etc.

In this sentence, 校园的环境 highlights the campus environment (physical + social atmosphere), which fits the idea of “getting used to” a new place.

What does 终于 add? How is it different from 最后?

Both can be translated as “finally,” but they’re used differently:

终于 (zhōngyú):
- Emphasizes a long wait / difficulty and a desired or expected result.
- Often has an emotional flavor: relief, satisfaction.
- 她终于适应了校园的环境。
  → “She finally (at last) got used to the campus environment.”
  Implies this was something she had been struggling with.
最后 (zuìhòu):
- Mainly means “in the end / at last / the last step.”
- Focuses on sequence, not necessarily on desire or effort.
- 最后，他回家了。 – In the end, he went home.
- 最后一个问题 – the last question.

In this sentence, 终于 is better, because we’re talking about a slow process reaching a hoped‑for state.

Could we move the second 了 to the end and say 过了几个月，她终于适应校园的环境了? Is there a difference?

Yes, that sentence is also natural:

过了几个月，她终于适应校园的环境了。

Subtle nuance:

适应了校园的环境。
– Focus on the completion of the action “got used to.”
适应校园的环境了。
– Slightly more focus on the new state now being true (a “change of state” feeling): Now she’s used to it.

In everyday conversation the difference is small; both versions are fine. Chinese often allows the sentence‑final 了 to mark “and now the situation has changed.”

Does 环境 here mean just the physical environment, or also social / academic aspects?

环境 (huánjìng) is broad and can include:

Physical surroundings (buildings, layout, weather)
Social environment (people, relationships)
Cultural / academic atmosphere

In 校园的环境, it naturally suggests the overall campus environment: physical, social, and academic. So she is getting used not just to the buildings, but also to the people, routines, and atmosphere of campus life.