LEARN + CHINESE / 15 of 300 HSK 1
First, Then, and Right Now 先/再
Planning the morning? You can say what you’ll do first, what comes next, and what’s happening right now. These time words go before the action they place in sequence or describe.
Examples
我先做完作业，再出去玩。
Wǒ xiān zuò wán zuòyè, zài chūqù wán.
I’ll finish my homework first, then go out to play.
我有时在家吃早饭。
Wǒ yǒushí zài jiā chī zǎofàn.
Sometimes I eat breakfast at home.
你等一下，我马上回来。
Nǐ děng yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng huílái.
Wait a moment; I’ll be right back.
老师正在说话，请大家听。
Lǎoshī zhèngzài shuōhuà, qǐng dàjiā tīng.
The teacher is speaking now; everyone, please listen.
Hint · 힌트
先…再… gives a common sequence. For “again” in an instruction, 再 often precedes the verb: 请再说一次.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
xiān | first |
zài | then; again |
zuò wán | to finish doing |
zuòyè | homework |
chūqù | to go out |
wán | to play |
yǒushí | sometimes |
zài jiā | at home |
chī | to eat |
zǎofàn | breakfast |
děng yíxià | wait a moment |
mǎshàng | right away |
huílái | to come back |
lǎoshī | teacher |
zhèngzài | in the middle of |
shuōhuà | to speak |
qǐng | please |
dàjiā | everyone |
tīng | to listen |
chángcháng | often |
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