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How to Say ‘I want to first...’ in Simplified Chinese

我想先…

wǒ xiǎng xiān

[waw shyahng shyen]

💬 Usage Tip: [先] goes before the action you want to do first: [我想先…], [我先吃饭], [我们先看看]. It's a very common way to set priorities step by step.

Phrase Breakdown

[waw]

I; me

The speaker refers to themselves and their own plan.

Example

我想先…从晚饭后散步开始。

I want to first... start with a walk after dinner.

xiǎng

[shyahng]

to want; to think

Expresses the speaker's intention or preference.

Example

我想先…把空腹血糖控制好。

I want to first... get my fasting blood sugar under control.

xiān

[shyen]

first

Shows the first step in a sequence or plan.

Example

我想先…先减少含糖饮料。

I want to first... first reduce sugary drinks.

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