at first

at first — idiom

1. used to talk about the beginning of a situation or experience, especially when t

1.慣用語A2
釋義

used to talk about the beginning of a situation or experience, especially when this later changes or turns out to be different from what comes after.

例句

At first, Devika thought the exam would be easy, but after looking at the questions she changed her mind.

at first ... but [later change]

Imani was nervous at first, but after a few minutes she began to relax and enjoy the party.

position: [be] + adj + at first

同義詞
  • initially

    more formal than 'at first'; common in academic or professional writing

  • at the start

    more specific about the temporal beginning point; works with 'of' phrases

  • at the outset

    formal; stresses the very beginning of a process or activity

用法筆記

At first is almost always used to contrast an early situation with something that happened later. Common sentence patterns are 'at first ... but/but then/but after ...' or '... at first, but later/eventually/after a while ...'. If no contrast is intended, use 'first' or 'at the beginning' instead. At first cannot be followed by 'of' — for that, use 'at the beginning of'.

常見錯誤

❌At first, I woke up, then I took a shower.
✅First, I woke up, then I took a shower.
💡'At first' implies a later change or contrast, not just the first step in a sequence.
❌At first of the year, we moved to a new house.
✅At the beginning of the year, we moved to a new house.
💡'At first' cannot be followed by 'of'. Use 'at the beginning of' for of-phrases.