先 ... 再 ...
Reach for this when you want to spell out the order of two actions — 'first do X, then do Y.' This is the everyday workhorse for sequencing: get instructions across at the gym, in a recipe, on a checklist, or in any plan with steps. 先 marks what comes first, 再 marks what comes next. Both actions are deliberate and connected — 再 implies 'after the first is done.' Used constantly in spoken Chinese for chores, workouts, study plans, and travel itineraries.
Structure
先 [ACTION 1] 再 [ACTION 2]
xiān ... zài ...
How to Think About It
Both 先 and 再 sit directly BEFORE their verbs, not after. The pair works as a tight unit, telling the listener 'these two actions are intentionally ordered.' Skip either word and the sequence reads like an accident, not a plan. 再 here means 'then / next' — not 'again.' Same character, different job: when paired with 先, it strictly means 'next in sequence.'
Examples
我先洗澡, 再吃饭。
Wǒ xiān xǐzǎo, zài chīfàn.
I'll shower first, then eat.
你先休息, 再做作业。
Nǐ xiān xiūxi, zài zuò zuòyè.
You rest first, then do your homework.
我们先去机场, 再去酒店。
Wǒmen xiān qù jīchǎng, zài qù jiǔdiàn.
We'll go to the airport first, then to the hotel.
我先吃饭, 后洗碗。
Wǒ xiān chī fàn, hòu xǐ wǎn.
I eat first, then wash the dishes.
小明先说, 小强后说。
Xiǎo Míng xiān shuō, Xiǎo Qiáng hòu shuō.
Xiao Ming speaks first, Xiao Qiang speaks after.
我们先去北京, 后去上海。
Wǒmen xiān qù Běijīng, hòu qù Shànghǎi.
We'll go to Beijing first, then Shanghai.
Common Mistake
Learners read 再 as 'again' (its other meaning) and write sentences like '先去再去' thinking it means 'go first, go again.' Inside this pattern 再 always means 'then/next.' Also, learners sometimes drop 再 because English 'first X, Y' often skips 'then' — but in Chinese the 再 is required.
我先吃饭, 看电影。
我先吃饭, 再看电影。
Don't Confuse With
先 ... 然后 ...
Same job with a slightly more narrative feel. 然后 sounds like you're telling a story; 再 sounds like you're giving instructions. In short two-step sentences, 再 is tighter; in longer plans, 然后 reads better.
一 ... 就 ...
Means 'as soon as X, then Y' — emphasizes immediacy of the second action. 先...再... is a deliberate plan; 一...就... is automatic reaction. '我一回家就睡觉' = 'as soon as I get home, I sleep.'
再 (alone, meaning 'again')
When 再 stands alone (not paired with 先), it usually means 'again / one more time' — '再说一遍' = 'say it again.' Inside the 先...再... frame, it switches to mean 'then / next.'
先...再...
Same first half, but 再 instead of 后 sounds more natural in everyday speech. 先洗手再吃饭 is what a parent actually says; 先...后... feels slightly more written.
先...然后...
Spoken default. 然后 is 'and then' — the most common second-half partner in conversation. 后 on its own is the shorter, tighter cousin.
Practice
我 ___ 喝水, 再跑步。
Show answer
先
你先看书, ___ 看电视。
Show answer
再
Put in order: [先 / 再 / 我 / 吃饭 / 睡觉]
Show answer
我先吃饭, 再睡觉。
Translate to Chinese: 'I'll do my homework first, then go out.'
Show answer
我先做作业, 再出去。
Write one sentence about your morning routine, using 先 ... 再 ...
Show answer
Example answer: 我早上先喝咖啡, 再去上班。 (In the morning, I have coffee first, then go to work.)
我 ___ 写作业, 后看电视。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 2 Fluentide episodes:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 先 ... 再 ... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.