In this mini episode, you will learn how to use the phrase “at first.”
Episode 364 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you how to use the phrase “at first.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi! This is Avy, from Beijing, China. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 364 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, we are going to talk about a simple English phrase. And that phrase is “at first.” At first. That’s spelled a-t, f-i-r-s-t. At first.
Have you seen or heard this phrase before?
You might think that it is the same as “in the beginning” or “at the beginning.” But I think this phrase is often used in a special way.
I think this phrase is often used to make a contrast between how something was at the beginning and how it was later. In other words, I think we often use “at first” to mean “in the beginning, but not later.”
I think often when we use “at first,” there is the suggestion of a but in there. There is the suggestion that something will change, that there will be a contrast. Something was true at the beginning, or in the beginning. But then something changed.
Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about, and then I think you will understand.
Let’s say that a few months ago, my friend moved into a new apartment. And I say this: “At first, she didn’t like her new apartment.” At first, she didn’t like her new apartment.
I think this sentence is saying something different from “When she first moved in, she didn’t like it.” Or “In the beginning, she didn’t like this new apartment.”
I think I would use this sentence to say something like “When she first moved into the apartment, she didn’t like it. But then, later, after she had been living in the apartment for a little while, she came to like it. She didn’t like it at first, but later she did like it.”
I think we often use “at first” to suggest that kind of contrast or change. At first, she didn’t like the new apartment. I think that suggests something like, “but later she did like the apartment.”
Can you see the feeling that I’m talking about? This feeling of something changing. A feeling of a contrast between the beginning and later. The next time you hear someone say “at first”—or the next time you read a sentence that contains the phrase “at first”—think about this idea. Think about this kind of change or contrast.
That is “at first,” a very common phrase that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 364 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Avy recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!