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plCommon Errors
The pattern 先…… 再/然后/然後…… ‘first… then…’ is used to express a series of actions or states in chronological order. It forms a successive compound sentence consisting of two or more clauses, each one following and building on the previous step in the sequence.
1. Incorrect position
The learners may incorrectly place 先 before the subject.
*晚上先我们吃午饭，然后看电视。
晚上我们先吃午饭，然后看电视。
*晚上先我們吃午飯，然後看電視。
晚上我們先吃午飯，然後看電視。
*先她买东西再上课。
她先买东西再上课。
*先她買東西再上課。
她先買東西再上課。
The learners may also incorrectly place adverbs and modal verbs after 先 when the adverb or modal verb is modifying both clauses.
*我先要买车，然后租房子。
我要先买车，然后租房子。
*她先常常读生词，然后听课文。
她常常先读生词，然后听课文。
*我先要買車，然後租房子。
我要先買車，然後租房子。
*她先常常讀生詞，然後聽課文。
她常常先讀生詞，然後聽課文。
2. Omission error
Learners may incorrectly omit 再 and use 先 alone when describing a fixed sequence of actions. This error often occurs because learners know that Chinese can sometimes express sequence simply by placing clauses side by side. As a result, they may overgeneralize this pattern and assume that 先 by itself is sufficient, even when the speaker intends to clearly mark the chronological order.
*日本人进屋前先脱鞋，进去。
日本人进屋前先脱鞋，再进去。
日本人进屋前先脱鞋，进去。
日本人进屋前先脱鞋，再进去。
Another source of this error is that 再 and 然后 can be used independently to introduce a following action in a complex sentence, while 先 cannot. Since 先 only marks the first step, it pragmatically requires a following element (such as 再) to complete the sequence. Learners may incorrectly assume that 先 can function in the same way as 再 or 然后, which leads to omission errors. Teachers should remind learners that when 先 introduces the first step, 再 or 然后 is needed to signal the next step.
*明天我打算先去买东西，去看电影。
明天我打算先去买东西，再去看电影。
*我先吃了午饭，去球场打球。
我先吃了午饭，然后去球场打球。
我吃了午饭，去球场打球。
*明天我打算先去買東西，去看電影。
明天我打算先去買東西，再去看電影。
*我先吃了午飯，去球場打球。
我先吃了午飯，然後去球場打球。
我吃了午飯，去球場打球。
3. Confusion between 然后/然後 and 以后/以後
The learners often confuse 然后/然後 with 以后/以後. However, 然后/然後 indicates that an action or state occurs ‘and then’ another one occurs consecutively, while 以后/以後 indicates that an action or state occurs ‘after’ another one. Moreover, the position is also different: 然后/然後 is placed at beginning of a clause, while 以后/以後 is placed after a time phrase or at the end of a clause.
*下课然后我们回家。
下课以后我们回家。
*昨天他们先吃午饭，以后去工作了。
昨天他们先吃午饭，然后去工作了。
*她每天起床然后，先洗澡，以后吃早饭。
她每天起床以后，先洗澡，然后吃早饭。
*下課然後我們回家。
下課以後我們回家。
*昨天他們先吃午飯，以後去工作了。
昨天他們先吃午飯，然後去工作了。
*她每天起床然後，先洗澡，以後吃早飯。
她每天起床以後，先洗澡，然後吃早飯。
Another difference is that 以后/以後 can be used with expression of specific time, while 然后/然後 cannot.
*我一个小时然后有中文课。
我一个小时以后有中文课。
*十月然后他就去中国留学。
十月以后他就去中国留学。
*我一個小時然後有中文課。
我一個小時然後有中文課。
*十月以後他就去中國留學。
十月以後他就去中國留學。
Lastly, 以后/以後 can also mean “in the future”, whereas 然后/然後 cannot.
*然后我们还会见面吗？
以后我们还会见面吗？
*然後我們還會見面嗎？
以後我們還會見面嗎？
4. Confusion between 然后/然後 and 后来/後來
Learners may also confuse 然后/然後 with 后来/後來: 然后/然後 links consecutive actions or states; 后来/後來 often implies “later on or afterwards” with a noticeable time gap and is typically used for past narration.
*上课以后，学生先复习上节课的内容，后来做新的作业。
上课以后，学生先复习上节课的内容，然后做新的作业。
*上課以後，學生先復習上節課的內容，後來做新的作業。
上課以後，學生先復習上節課的內容，然後做新的作業。
*刚开始很好玩，然后变得很无聊。
刚开始很好玩，后来变得很无聊。
*剛開始很好玩，然後變得很無聊。
剛開始很好玩，後來變得很無聊。
L1 Interference Errors
The learners may incorrectly place 先 and 再 because in English ‘first’ and ‘then’ appear at the beginning of clauses, whereas in Chinese they are adverbs and must be placed after the subject and mostly before the verb.
*先你自己试试，再我帮助你。
你先自己试试，我再帮助你。
*先你自己試試，再我幫助你。
你先自己試試，我再幫助你。
Classroom activity: Act and Guess.
two groups.
10–15 minutes.
none.
- The teacher divides the class into two groups.
- In each round, each group chooses one performer and one guesser.
- The performer silently pretends to do three simple actions in sequence, such as 起床, 吃饭/吃飯, 上课/上課.
- The guesser watches carefully.
- When the performer finishes, the guesser creates one sentence using the sequential structure 先…… 再/然后/然後…… to describe what he or she saw.
- The teacher checks that the sentence uses the structure correctly and measures the time spent.
- The round ends when the sentence is correct.
- The group that completes the task in less time wins the round.