Learn English – “the first time”, “the last time”, “the next time” followed by a adverbial clauses of time

grammar

When "the first time", "the last time", "the next time" are followed by a adverbial clauses of time, can "the" be omitted? Can "first time", "last time", "next time" be followed by adverbial clauses of time?
Does the following sentences sound natural to you, native speakers?

"The first time I came here, I had the best night’s sleep for months."

"first time I came here, I had the best night’s sleep for months."

"Last time I took my pulse, it was a bit fast. "

"The last time we moved house there were very few breakages. "

"He looked much worried last time I saw him. "

"Do look me up the next time you’re in London. "

"Next time you go shopping, throw in a few extra fruit and vegetables."

Thank you very much!

Best Answer

Next and last can be determiners when they mean "time immediately after/before now," so when you use them with that meaning, you can omit the article the.

But they can both also serve as adjectives, so it's generally grammatical to include the article, too.

The same is not true of first. It's strictly adjectival, so you need to say, "the first time...."

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