Rocket Chinese Community

Hi,

I have a question. In lesson 3.1 "Catching a ride" the sentance reads, "Is this your first time in China? " The pinyin is "Zhè shì nǐ dì yī cì lái Zhōngguó ma?" If they are talking about "Your first time" shouldn't the sentance read "Zhè shì nǐ de dì yī cì lái Zhōngguó ma? " . Thanks for the help.

why would u add a "de"

Hi there,

We can't say "nǐ de dì yī cì lái....", as "dì yī cì" can only be used as an adverb before action, it can't be regarded as a noun. Thus, we can't use "nǐ de" in the front, as "de" is only followed by a noun.

I hope that helps.