first-time

/ˈfɜːst taɪm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɜːrst taɪm/ (ame, ipa)

first-time — adjective

1. describing a person who is doing a particular activity for the very first time,

1.形容詞B1
釋義

describing a person who is doing a particular activity for the very first time, with no earlier personal experience of it.

例句

The government offers a small grant to help first-time home buyers afford a deposit.

first-time + buyer (very common collocation in finance and housing)

Sirin felt nervous as a first-time mother but the midwife quickly put her at ease.

first-time + mother (typical life-event collocation)

同義詞
  • novice

    noun, not an adjective — refers to the person; 'first-time' describes them doing the activity.

  • inexperienced

    wider — covers anyone with little experience, not specifically the first occasion.

  • debut

    often used of public performances or appearances; 'her debut novel' is similar to 'her first-time novel attempt' but more formal.

反義詞
  • repeat

    as in 'repeat offender' or 'repeat visitor' — someone who has done it before.

  • experienced

    describes someone who has done the activity many times already.

文法句型

first-time + noun (buyer, voter, visitor, mother, offender, user)

用法筆記

Almost always used directly before a noun (attributive). Common partners: buyer, mother, voter, offender, visitor, user, winner. Cannot normally come after 'be' — say 'a first-time buyer', not 'the buyer was first-time'. Distinguish from the noun phrase 'the first time' (e.g. 'the first time I tried sushi'), which describes the occasion itself rather than the person.

常見錯誤

❌The voter was first-time.
✅She was a first-time voter.
💡'first-time' goes before the noun, not after 'be'.
❌It was a first time experience.
✅It was a first-time experience.
💡keep the hyphen when used as an adjective before a noun.
❌He is a first-timer buyer.
✅He is a first-time buyer.
💡the adjective is 'first-time', not 'first-timer' (which is a separate noun meaning the person).