kanojo wa hajimete no ryuugaku de wakuwakushite iru ga, sukoshi dokidoki mo shite iru.

She’s excited about studying abroad for the first time, but she’s a little nervous too.

Breakdown of kanojo wa hajimete no ryuugaku de wakuwakushite iru ga, sukoshi dokidoki mo shite iru.

• は: topic particle
• の: possessive case particle
• が: conjunction particle
• 少すこし: a little

Questions & Answers about kanojo wa hajimete no ryuugaku de wakuwakushite iru ga, sukoshi dokidoki mo shite iru.

Why is it 初めての留学 and not just 初めて留学?

Because 初めて is being used to modify the noun 留学.

• 初めて = for the first time / first
• 留学 = studying abroad

When a noun modifies another noun in Japanese, you often need の:

• 初めての留学 = her first study-abroad experience / studying abroad for the first time

So here, の connects 初めて and 留学.

A rough structure is:

• 彼女は 初めての留学で = As this is her first time studying abroad / Because this is her first study-abroad experience...

Without の, it would sound unnatural here.

What does the particle で mean in 初めての留学で?