Sentence pattern · Band 3
先……然后……: first this, then that
先 A，然后 B
先 calls the first move, 然后 passes the baton: eat first, then homework. English often lets then run the show alone; Mandarin likes the pair, 先 for step one, 然后 for step two, like counting one, two. Plans, recipes, and excuses for being late all flow through this frame.
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
The person still leads the sentence; 先 follows the subject, it does not replace it.
先 marks step one and 然后 hands over to step two; the baton passes in that order only.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 先……然后…… mean?
先 calls the first move, 然后 passes the baton: eat first, then homework. English often lets then run the show alone; Mandarin likes the pair, 先 for step one, 然后 for step two, like counting one, two. Plans, recipes, and excuses for being late all flow through this frame.
How do you build it?
先 A，然后 B
What is the most common mistake?
先我吃饭，然后写作业。 → 我先吃饭，然后学习汉语。
The person still leads the sentence; 先 follows the subject, it does not replace it.
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