HSK 2 grammar · conjunction
先…然后
先…然后… — first … then … (sequence)
Pattern
+ +
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
先 … 然后 … (or 先 … 再 …) lays out actions in the order they happen — "first …, then …". 先 marks the earlier action and 然后/再 the later one.
Examples
我先写作业，然后看电视。
Wǒ xiān xiě zuòyè, ránhòu kàn diànshì.
First I do homework, then watch TV.
你先休息，然后再工作。
Nǐ xiān xiūxi, ránhòu zài gōngzuò.
Rest first, then work.
我们先吃饭，然后去看电影。
Wǒmen xiān chī fàn, ránhòu qù kàn diànyǐng.
We'll eat first, then go to a movie.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 先…然后 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.