Question

It was the first time in a year and a half that I'd seen the night face to face.

主句是一般过去式,从句是过去完成时 这是什么意思呢？ 主从句所用时态不一致表示什么呢？ 看见夜晚比“第一次”发生的时间更前？这是一个什么从句呢？

Answer 1

这是个表语从句
It is the first time that...后接现在完成时；
It was the first time that...后接过去完成时；
It will be the first time that...后接现在完成时。
It was the first time in a year and a half that I had seen the night face to face.
it is ...that ...是强调句的结构.
若是强调句,它这里是对时间状语的强调.我们把句子还原看看:
I had seen the night face to face the first time in a year and a half.>>(或者进一步转化)
I had seen the night face to face in a year and a half the first time.
但是我们发现句子少了一个时间状语的介词(the first time前面的)加上一个介词应该是for:
I had seen the night face to face for the first time in a year and a half.
因此这个句子不是个强调句子.
而是个表语从句,它的主杆是:It was the first time that I had seen the night face to face.

这里最大的疑惑可能就是下面的区别了.
the first time 和 for the first time的区别在于:
the first time可作表语和主语 ,for the first time在句中只能作状语.

Answer 2

这句话里面有个语法点：
it is the first time that sb 后面要用现在完成时；描述某人第一次做某事。
当is是过去时的时候，后面的现在完成时要相应的变成过去完成时。

追问

that 引导的是什么从句呢？定于从句吗？

追答

这是个强调句，整句话也是强调句型。
it is + 被强调部分+that