〜て初めて: meaning and usage

How to form it

• verb (te-form)+初めて

How it is used

'Only after A did B (for the first time)', usually with B a realization such as 「わかる」 or 「気づく」. Unlike 「〜てから」, it stresses that B had not happened before A.

Examples

1. 傷ついて初めて本当の恋だと分かる。

   Only after getting hurt do you realize it's true love.

2. 一人で暮らしてみて初めて、親のありがたさがわかった。

   Only after living on my own did I realize how much my parents did for me.

3. 外国に行って初めて、自分の国のよさに気づいた。

   It wasn't until I went abroad that I noticed what's good about my own country.