Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā dìyīcì qù yīnyuèhuì de shíhou yǒudiǎnr jǐnzhāng. - She was a bit nervous the first time she went to a concert.

Here, 的 links the action 第一次去音乐会 to the noun 时候, turning the whole thing into a phrase meaning “the time when she went to a concert for the first time.”

Pattern:

[sentence / verb phrase] + 的 + 时候 → “when …”

Examples:

我下班的时候 = when I get off work
他们见面的时候 = when they met

So 第一次去音乐会 (first time go to a concert) + 的 + 时候 = “(at) the time of her first going to a concert / when she first went to a concert.”

Why is 第一次 in front of 去? Could I say something like 她去音乐会第一次的时候?

第一次 normally goes before the verb to show “doing something for the first time”:

她第一次去音乐会 = She went to a concert for the first time.
我第一次见他 = I met him for the first time.

The pattern is:

Subject + 第一次 + Verb (+ Object)

Putting 第一次 after 去音乐会 like 她去音乐会第一次的时候 is not natural. Think of 第一次 as an adverb-like element modifying the action 去, so it comes right before the verb, not after the object.

Why is there no word like “was” in 有点儿紧张? Shouldn’t there be a “be” verb?

In Chinese, many adjectives function like verbs of state. To say “she was nervous”, you can simply say:

她紧张。 = She is/was nervous.

There is no separate “be” verb needed before most adjectives.

Here, we add 有点儿 (“a bit”) before the adjective:

她有点儿紧张。 = She was a bit nervous.

So:

English: She was (a bit) nervous.
Chinese: 她有点儿紧张。 (no “was” needed)

Can we put 是 in there, like 她第一次去音乐会的时候是有点儿紧张?

You normally don’t use 是 in front of an adjective phrase like 有点儿紧张 in this kind of sentence.

Natural:

她第一次去音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。

Unnatural / odd:

她第一次去音乐会的时候，是有点儿紧张。

In this sentence, 有点儿紧张 itself is the predicate (“was a bit nervous”). Adding 是 would usually sound redundant or stylistically off. 是 is mainly used:

for equating things: 他是老师。 (He is a teacher.)
for emphasis/contrast before verbs/phrases, in special sentence patterns.

But here, just 有点儿紧张 is correct and sufficient.

What’s the difference between 有点儿 and 一点儿? Why do we say 有点儿紧张 and not 一点儿紧张?

Both relate to “a little,” but they’re used differently:

有点儿 + adjective / undesirable situation
- often implies a slightly negative or unwanted degree
- 有点儿紧张 = a bit nervous (more than I’d like)
- 有点儿累 = a bit tired (not ideal)
一点儿 + noun / verb or in comparisons
- 给我一点儿水。 = give me a little water
- 我会说一点儿中文。 = I can speak a little Chinese

一点儿 + adjective is possible in patterns like:

再慢一点儿。 = a bit slower
好一点儿了吗？ = is it a bit better now?

But to describe a somewhat unwanted feeling like being nervous, 有点儿紧张 is the natural choice.

What’s the difference between 有点儿紧张 and 很紧张?

有点儿紧张 = a bit nervous, slightly, and usually implies it's not ideal:
- She was a bit nervous (more than she wanted to be, but not extreme).
很紧张 = very nervous / quite nervous:
- 她第一次去音乐会的时候很紧张。
  = She was very nervous the first time she went to a concert.

So:

degree: 有点儿 < 很
nuance: 有点儿 often carries a mild negative/unwanted feeling.

What is the 儿 doing in 有点儿? Is there a difference between 有点 and 有点儿?

有点儿 is 儿化 (adding an “r” sound) and is very common in northern/standard Mandarin.

In many contexts, 有点 and 有点儿 mean the same thing.
In spoken Mandarin, 有点儿 is more typical in Beijing/standard speech.
In writing, you’ll see both forms. Many textbooks teach 有点儿 first.

So:

有点儿紧张 and 有点紧张 are both acceptable.
The meaning is the same: a bit nervous.

Why do we use 时候 and not 时间? Can I say 第一次去音乐会的时间?

时候 and 时间 are different:

时候 = a point or period in time; “when …”
Used in expressions like:
- …的时候 = when …
- 小的时候 = when (I was) little
时间 = time as a quantity/duration (“time” that you have/don’t have, spend, etc.)
- 有时间 = have time
- 没有时间 = have no time

In this sentence, you want the meaning “when she first went to a concert”, so:

第一次去音乐会的时候 ✅ (correct)
第一次去音乐会的时间 ❌ (sounds like “the specific time/date of her first going to a concert,” and feels off here)

For “when …” as a clause, …的时候 is the standard pattern.

Why is the whole 第一次去音乐会的时候 put before 有点儿紧张? Can it go after?

Time expressions can usually go either before or after the subject, or at the start as a clause. Here we have:

她第一次去音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。

This is:

[When-clause] + [main clause]
“When she first went to a concert, she was a bit nervous.”

You could also say:

她第一次去音乐会的时候有点儿紧张。 (same, just no comma)
第一次去音乐会的时候，她有点儿紧张。 (time clause first, subject in main clause)

What you generally don’t do is move 的时候 to the end and say something like:

她有点儿紧张第一次去音乐会的时候。 ❌ (unnatural)

So the time clause …的时候 goes as a block before (or at the start of) the main statement 有点儿紧张.

Do we really need 她 twice? Could we say 她第一次去音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。?

Yes, we can drop the second 她, and your version is natural:

她第一次去音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。

In Chinese, if the subject of the second part is obviously the same as in the first part, it can be omitted. The subject is understood from context.

Both are fine:

她第一次去音乐会的时候，她有点儿紧张。 (repeats the subject; clear, a bit heavier)
她第一次去音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。 (more typical, less repetition)

Is 去音乐会 enough, or should it be 去听音乐会 or 去看音乐会?

去音乐会 is acceptable in everyday speech and will be understood as “go to a concert.”

More precise options are:

去听音乐会 = go listen to a concert (most common/specific)
去看音乐会 = go watch a concert (also heard, but 听 is more natural for music)

So you might also hear:

她第一次去听音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。
= The first time she went to a concert (to listen), she was a bit nervous.

Your original 去音乐会 is fine and natural, especially in casual conversation.

Why is it 去音乐会 and not 去了音乐会? Can I say 她第一次去了音乐会的时候?

With …的时候, you usually don’t put 了 right before 的时候 for this kind of “when …” clause.

Compare:

她第一次去音乐会的时候，有点儿紧张。 ✅
When she went to a concert for the first time, she was a bit nervous.

她第一次去了音乐会的时候 is at best very odd; 了 here clashes with 的时候 and breaks the natural pattern.

Rough guidelines:

Use Verb + 的时候 to mean “when (someone) does/did something”:
- 我吃饭的时候，他给我打电话。 = When I was eating, he called me.
Don’t insert 了 between the verb and 的时候 in this pattern.

You can talk about completion elsewhere in the sentence if needed, but 去 + 的时候 is the normal form here.

Can we use 时 instead of 时候, like 她第一次去音乐会时有点儿紧张? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can:

她第一次去音乐会时，有点儿紧张。

This is grammatically correct. The difference is mainly style:

时候
- more colloquial, very common in speech and writing
- neutral, everyday choice
时
- more formal / literary, shorter
- often seen in written Chinese, headlines, literature, etc.

In spoken Mandarin and in textbooks, you’ll most often see …的时候.