先...再/然后...: Sequencing Actions in Chinese
先……再/然后……
先 marks the action that happens first, while 再 or 然后 introduces the later action. Each sequencing adverb stands before its own verb phrase. 再 often presents the next planned step, whereas 然后 explicitly connects the second event as what happens afterward. The two clauses should preserve their chronological order.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 先 + Verb phrase 1, (然后) + 再 / 然后 + Verb phrase 2
Read the structure
先 marks the action that happens first, while 再 or 然后 introduces the later action. Each sequencing adverb stands before its own verb phrase. 再 often presents the next planned step, whereas 然后 explicitly connects the second event as what happens afterward. The two clauses should preserve their chronological order. Keep the model Subject + 先 + Verb phrase 1, (然后) + 再 / 然后 + Verb phrase 2 visible while you compare each sentence.
我先买菜，再回家做饭。
I will buy groceries first and then go home to cook.
Choose the right context
Give two planned steps: 我先买菜，再回家做饭。 Narrate a clear sequence: 我们先吃早饭，然后出发。 Give an instruction in stages: 你先看问题，再回答。
我们先吃早饭，然后出发。
We will eat breakfast first and then leave.
Respect the boundary
Do not stack 先 and 再 before the first action; each belongs to a different step. Do not place 然后 before 先 when the stated actions remain in first-then order. Do not use this sequence pattern for simultaneous actions; use a simultaneous construction instead.
我先再买菜回家做饭。
(I first then buy groceries go home cook.)
Repair the pattern
The markers for the first and second steps are stacked before the first action: 先 and 再 introduce different steps. 先 must precede 买菜, while 再 must move before the later action 回家做饭. The afterward marker is placed before 先, reversing the sequencing frame: 然后 cannot split the verb-object phrase 吃早饭, and 先 cannot be postponed to the second action. Use 先 before the first verb phrase and 然后 before the second.
我先买菜，再回家做饭。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
我先买菜，再回家做饭。
I will buy groceries first and then go home to cook.
我先
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
买
先
This part occupies the 先 position in the model pattern.
菜
Verb phrase 1, (然后)
This part occupies the Verb phrase 1, (然后) position in the model pattern.
，
再 / 然后
This part occupies the 再 / 然后 position in the model pattern.
再
Verb phrase 2
This part occupies the Verb phrase 2 position in the model pattern.
回家
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
做饭
先
This part occupies the 先 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
我先买菜，再回家做饭。
I will buy groceries first and then go home to cook.
我们先吃早饭，然后出发。
We will eat breakfast first and then leave.
你先看问题，再回答。
Read the question first, then answer it.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Give two planned steps: 我先买菜，再回家做饭。
- Narrate a clear sequence: 我们先吃早饭，然后出发。
- Give an instruction in stages: 你先看问题，再回答。
Do not use it when
- Do not stack 先 and 再 before the first action; each belongs to a different step.
- Do not place 然后 before 先 when the stated actions remain in first-then order.
- Do not use this sequence pattern for simultaneous actions; use a simultaneous construction instead.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
我先再买菜回家做饭。
我先买菜，再回家做饭。
The markers for the first and second steps are stacked before the first action
先 and 再 introduce different steps. 先 must precede 买菜, while 再 must move before the later action 回家做饭.
我们吃然后早饭先出发。
我们先吃早饭，然后出发。
The afterward marker is placed before 先, reversing the sequencing frame
然后 cannot split the verb-object phrase 吃早饭, and 先 cannot be postponed to the second action. Use 先 before the first verb phrase and 然后 before the second.
我先再买菜回家做饭。
先 and 再 introduce different steps. 先 must precede 买菜, while 再 must move before the later action 回家做饭.
我们吃然后早饭先出发。
然后 cannot split the verb-object phrase 吃早饭, and 先 cannot be postponed to the second action. Use 先 before the first verb phrase and 然后 before the second.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 先……再/然后…….
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 先……再/然后……. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
先...再/然后...: Sequencing Actions Questions
What is the difference between 再 and 然后 after 先?
Both can introduce a later step. 再 often frames the next planned action, while 然后 explicitly means then or afterward.
Where do 先, 再, and 然后 go?
Each stands before the verb phrase it sequences: 先 + first action, then 再 or 然后 + later action.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 2 grammar inventory, item 62(2) (A.2.5.3): 先..., 再/然后... sequential complex sentence
Supports placement in HSK 2; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 42, section 42.3, pages 293-294
Lists 先...再... and 先...然后... as pairs for an earlier and a later event and states that each adverb precedes its own verb phrase.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
继而继而: Subsequently Leading On
Compare this lesson with 继而 introducing the next closely connected event; both belong to event sequence, progression, and resulting development, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
进而进而: Advancing to a Further Result
Compare this lesson with 进而 advancing from one result or argument to another; both belong to event sequence, progression, and resulting development, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
时A时B时A时B: Alternating from Time to Time
Compare this lesson with 时A时B showing events or states alternating over time; both belong to event sequence, progression, and resulting development, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Continue learning
一…就The 一...就... Structure
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
RECOMMENDED NEXT
Continue learning
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.