How to Say ‘Is this your first time here?’ in Simplified Chinese
你是第一次来吗？
nǐ shì dì yī cì lái ma
[nee shir dee ee tsuh lie ma]
🇨🇳 In China: This is a friendly small-talk question at an event and helps start conversation without being too personal. It works well with conferences, mixers, and company visits.
Phrase Breakdown
你是第一次
nǐ shì dì yī cì
it is your first time
Used to ask or state that something is happening for the first time for someone.
你是第一次来北京吗？
Is this your first time coming to Beijing?
Words in this phrase
你
nǐ
[nee]
you
The pronoun for the person you are speaking to.
你是第一次来吗？我可以带你看看。
Is this your first time here? I can show you around.
是
shì
[shir]
to be
Connects the subject to the description, like “is” in English.
你是第一次来吗？这个问法很自然。
Is this your first time here? This way of asking sounds very natural.
第一
dì yī
[dee ee]
first
Used in sequence or order; with 次 it means “first time.”
第一次参加活动时，大家都会先观察一下。
When attending an event for the first time, everyone usually observes first.
次
cì
[tsuh]
time; occurrence
Counts how many times an action happens.
这是我第二次来，不是第一次。
This is my second time coming, not my first.
来吗
lái ma
come?; are you coming?
来 means 'to come'; 吗 turns the sentence into a yes/no question.
你明天来吗？
Are you coming tomorrow?
Words in this phrase
来
lái
[lie]
to come
Refers to coming to a place or event.
很多学生来这里了解企业信息。
Many students come here to learn about company information.
吗
ma
[ma]
question particle
Placed at the end of a sentence to ask a yes-no question.
句末加“吗”，你是第一次来吗？
Add 吗 at the end: Is this your first time here?
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