我先吃饭，然后去上班 (wǒ xiān chīfàn, ránhòu qù shàngbān) — "I eat first, then go to work." That's how you sequence two actions in Mandarin using 先...然后 (xiān...ránhòu). You place 先 before the first action and 然后 before the second, and you always put 先 after the subject, never at the start of the sentence.
The pattern is simple: subject + 先 + action 1, 然后 + action 2. In the key sentence 我先吃早饭，然后去上班 (wǒ xiān chī zǎofàn, ránhòu qù shàngbān) — "I eat breakfast first, then go to work" — the subject 我 comes first, 先 marks eating as the first step, and 然后 introduces going to work as the next. Use this structure whenever you describe the order you do things: your morning routine, weekend plans, or step-by-step instructions to a friend.
In "First Things First," you talk out loud with AI teacher Mei Lin for about 10 minutes. She asks about your daily routine and weekend plans, and you respond using 先...然后 to sequence your activities. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in the flow of conversation and adapts to your level, so you get immediate feedback on whether you've placed 先 correctly after the subject. The first lesson is free to try — just start talking.
After this lesson, you'll be able to explain the order of your activities and make step-by-step plans with someone in Mandarin. To keep building HSK 3 grammar, try another live lesson like Emphasizing Extremes with 连...都/也 (lián...dōu/yě) or Giving Directions with 向 (xiàng) / 往 (wǎng). You can also explore more HSK 3 lessons or print practice sheets with the free Chinese worksheet generator.
先 always comes after the subject and before the first action. In 我先吃饭，然后去上班 (wǒ xiān chīfàn, ránhòu qù shàngbān), 先 sits right after the subject 我 and before 吃饭. Never start the sentence with 先 — it needs a subject in front of it.
Mei Lin asks about your daily routine and weekend plans, and you describe the order of your activities using 先...然后 (xiān...ránhòu). For example, you might say what you do first in the morning and what comes next, getting real-time corrections on grammar and pronunciation.
The lesson takes roughly 10 minutes. It focuses entirely on the 先...然后 pattern, so you spend that time talking out loud with Mei Lin rather than reading explanations. The first lesson is free to try.
Yes — you can print handwriting worksheets with the free Chinese Worksheet Generator. Ready-made packs cover HSK 1–3 words, so you can reinforce characters like 先 and 然后 alongside your speaking practice.