How to Say ‘But first’ in Simplified Chinese
但先
dàn xiān
[dàn xiān]
💬 Usage Tip: 先 usually comes before the action it applies to: 但先看看 'but first let's look.' It's the everyday way to say 'do X first' without needing a separate word for 'then' afterward.
Phrase Breakdown
但
dàn
[dàn]
but first
Used to prioritize one action over others.
但先让我拿遥控器。
But first, let me take the remote control.
先
xiān
[xiān]
first
Indicates precedence.
请先让我用。
Please let me use it first.
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