我有看過: the Taiwan 有 that surprises learners

In beginner Mandarin, 有 usually means "to have" or "there is". Then you hear a Taiwanese speaker say I have seen it, and suddenly 有 is sitting in front of another verb.

This pattern is very common in Taiwan. It often confirms that something did happen, or that someone has the experience of doing it. 我有看過 means "I have seen it" or "I did see it before".

What 有 is doing here

Think of 有 as adding a little confirmation. The speaker is not just saying the verb. They are marking the event as real, completed, or experienced.

• 我有看過. I have seen it before.
• 他有跟我說. He did tell me.
• 你有吃飯嗎? Did you eat?

Try the sound of Did you eat?. In Taiwan, this can be an ordinary everyday question, not a strange extra word.

How this differs from mainland habits

Mainland Mandarin has ways to express the same ideas, but many mainland speakers would more naturally use 過, 了, or the verb alone in places where Taiwan uses 有. So 我看過了 or 你吃飯了嗎 may feel more textbook-mainland.

That does not mean 有 plus verb is impossible outside Taiwan. It means the pattern is especially noticeable and productive in Taiwanese Mandarin.

How to use it safely

Use 有 when you are confirming whether something happened: He did tell me.

Do not put it in every sentence. It is strongest when the question is "did this actually happen?" rather than "what is happening right now?" Once you hear that job, the pattern stops feeling like extra grammar and starts feeling like a very useful Taiwan shortcut.