How to use 第
第 + Number (+ Measure Word)
第 before a number marks a position in a sequence rather than a quantity. The same prefix can form first, second, and later ordinals without the changing endings used in English. When a noun follows, its normal classifier can appear after the ordinal number to identify the item occupying that position.
Pay attention to the difference between counting several things and naming one thing's rank. Second uses 二 after 第, rather than the quantity form 两. Some conventional numbered expressions, including common references to floors, can identify a position without 第. That does not remove the prefix from the general ordinal pattern. Learn those shorter labels as established usages alongside the productive construction.
Examples with pinyin and English
我是第一个到公司的人。
I'm the first person that came to the office.
他要坐早上第一班地铁去上班。
He needs to take the first train in the morning to go to work.
小李是她的第三个男朋友。
Little Li is her third boyfriend.
我的第一个中文老师是美国人。
My first Chinese teacher was American.
What to remember
- Put 第 before the ranking number.
- Use 二 for the ordinal second.
- Some conventional labels omit 第.
Practise the pattern
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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