Can you answer a question me and my friend have argued over for years?

Question

He says if you do something for the first time you can only call it the first time if there is a second time otherwise it is not the first time it is the only time.

I think you can do something for the first time but if you haven't yet done it again it is still your first time. Is it correct to describe it as the first time or the only time?

Diogenes · Accepted Answer

The only time is also, by definition, the first time.

SBR32277 · Answer

In terms of communication, saying it's your first time is fine while actually doing it, but it implies there is at least a second time if talking about it after the fact, so your friend would be correct. Without at least a second time, your first time becomes your only time when communicating. If you only road a skateboard once, you would not refer to it as your "first" time but instead as your only time because "first" would imply more than one time, not just one time.

Anonymous · Answer

Meh.......

This is truly all rooted inside Semantic's but
I'll humor your silly odd question & say that 
it could honestly go either way in my honest
Ôpînîôn !!
......................................

Anonymous · Answer

An interesting conundrum. In 1558 England had a Queen Elizabeth, she was the first English queen to be called Elizabeth, yet she wasn't know as Elizabeth 1 until 1953!

? · Answer

Seems like a grammar problem.Your friend is correct.First time implies future experiences.Only time is a one off and never again.

Anonymous · Answer

You could say it was the First and Last time you did something. Seems like a silly argument, but I think saying " it was the first time " is still accurate, even if it was the only time you did it.

. · Answer

If you say, "I flew on an airplane for the first time in 1992," that sort of implies that you did so again.

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Can you answer a question me and my friend have argued over for years?

7 Answers