Level 3 · Intermediate
Topic first: 那部电影，我看过
Topic +（，）+ Subj. + Comment
Chinese loves putting the thing you're talking ABOUT first, then commenting on it: 那部电影，我看过 "that movie — I've seen it", 北京我去过两次 "Beijing, I've been to twice". The fronted topic is information both sides already know; the comment that follows delivers the news.
That's why so many natural sentences look "object-first" — it's the default way to organize known vs. new information, not heavy emphasis. And once the topic is fronted, it is NOT repeated by a pronoun: no 它 sneaking back in after the verb.
Examples
那部电影，我看过。
那部電影，我看過。
nà bù diàn yǐng wǒ kàn guò
That movie — I've seen it.
北京我去过两次。
北京我去過兩次。
běi jīng wǒ qù guò liǎng cì
Beijing, I've been to twice.
中国菜，他做得很好。
中國菜，他做得很好。
zhōng guó cài tā zuò de hěn hǎo
Chinese food, he cooks really well.
这些水果，你想吃就吃吧。
這些水果，你想吃就吃吧。
zhè xiē shuǐ guǒ nǐ xiǎng chī jiù chī ba
This fruit — if you want some, go ahead and eat it.
Common mistakes
✗ 那部电影，我看过它。
✓ 那部电影，我看过。
Once the topic is fronted, don't pick it up again with 它 — the comment stands alone.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Back to Dad's City (Part 1) inside the Literate Chinese app.
