it is the first time vs it was the first time

Both phrases are correct, but they're used in different contexts. 'It is the first time' is used when referring to a current or ongoing situation, while 'It was the first time' talks about a past event.

Explained by Miss E.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: March 17, 2025 • 5714 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a current or ongoing situation.

"it is the first time"

Use 'it is the first time' when you want to express that something is happening for the first time in the present or in a recurring manner.

Examples:

It is the first time I have seen such a beautiful sunset.
It is the first time I am trying this new restaurant.
It is the first time I have heard this song.

Show examples from the web [+]

This report sets a precedent, as it is the first time that the Council has consulted Parliament on these measures.
However, it is the first time that you can go after him for it.
Madam President, as Socialists we fully support this report and contributed to it because we believe it is the first time in this Parliament that the political, legal and moral debate surrounding ethnic profiling and its effects on ordinary people has been raised properly.
whereas it is the first time since 1990, when the constitutional monarchy was established, that a state of emergency has been declared and also the first time that the army has been deployed to combat the Maoist insurgents,
And it is the first time that Tim has held Katie's hand in seven years.
30 years on a ship and it is the first time I feel such a thing.
To my knowledge it is the first time he has ever taken any part in any debate on human rights.
Little loner, that's the way it is the first time...
That's the way it is the first time, little loner.
Mr President, I wish to address Sir Leon Brittan directly because it is the first time he has come to a debate on this subject in this House in at least the last two years.
whereas it is the first time the US Senate has rejected a nuclear arms control pact,
I believe even this part of the directive is a huge success because it is the first time ever that sustainability criteria are defined and in a form that will be implemented.
Nonetheless, as I said, this report marks a first: it is the first time the question of Eurostat has been dealt with in a report.
My report is a first for the European Parliament, since it is the first time that the operations of the EBRD have been subject to scrutiny and assessment by this House.
I think it is important to look at the conclusions reached by the troika on this visit, because it is the first time it has gone there.
As the Spanish representative said, when joining other countries in registering his country's dissent from the final text, it is the first time that the entrepreneurial sector has been included in any directive.
In the first instance, it is the first time in the European Union's history that binding European legislation has been adopted to combat human trafficking.
Children often know how to handle the new technologies very well, and it is the first time in the history of mankind that children know more than parents, educators and adults.
This is not the first time that I have appeared before you - I have done so on numerous occasions in previous roles - but it is the first time that I have done so in my new capacity.
This is the first time the Commission has submitted an annual report based on a complete year of operation of the Cohesion Fund and it is the first time this Parliament has had the opportunity of examining how the Cohesion Fund has been implemented in the beneficiary Member States.

Alternatives:

This is the first time
I have never seen this before
This is a new experience for me
I am experiencing this for the first time
I have never encountered this situation before

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to a past event.

"it was the first time"

Use 'it was the first time' when you want to talk about something that happened for the first time in the past.

Examples:

It was the first time I visited Paris.
It was the first time I tried sushi.
It was the first time I saw snow.

Show examples from the web [+]

Don't worry, it was the first time.
I swear it was the first time.
What happened with Chase - it was the first time.
Because it was the first time that I actually believed someone.
That night in Paris, it was the first time I realized I had to do something.
At that time, it was the first time that I heard the word malnutrition.
Because it was the first time a Pureblood had shown me kindness.
But it was the first time in his life that Fantozzi had free tickets.
But, as for him... it was the first time he'd had any trouble sleeping.
When I think about it, it was the first time Eun Jae'd ever asked a favor.
And it was cool because it was the first time we were ever a real family.
When you reached out for me and took my hand, it was the first time I didn't feel alone.
When Dr. Walker told me to stop, it was the first time ever in my entire gymnastics life that I felt afraid.
But it was the first time she's ever cooked for me.
David, I think, it was the first time you saw his two hearts.
Since it was the first time we arrived late at school, our teacher didn't give us detention.
Because it was the first time you've ever looked at me - with admiration.
I say this because it was the first time since meeting Amanda
They were playing at the OK Hotel and it was the first time they played it live.
Come to think of it, it was the first time I was ever complimented.

Alternatives:

That was the first time
I had never experienced that before
It had never happened to me before
I had never encountered that situation before
That was a new experience for me

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