khi đầu
Definition
- Adverb:
- At first, initially: "khi đầu" indicates the beginning stage of an event, situation, or period of time. It refers to the initial point or the earliest phase.
Usage
- "Khi đầu" is used to describe the starting point of a process, often contrasting with what happens later. It is typically placed at the beginning of a clause.
- It is a formal and slightly literary term. In everyday conversation, "lúc đầu" or "ban đầu" are more common synonyms.
Usage Examples
- Adverb:
- Khi đầu, dự án này gặp rất nhiều khó khăn. (At first, this project encountered many difficulties.)
- Khi đầu tôi không hiểu, nhưng sau đó mọi thứ trở nên rõ ràng. (Initially, I didn't understand, but later everything became clear.)
Advanced Usage
- "Ngay khi đầu": right from the start, from the very beginning.
- Ngay khi đầu, anh ấy đã nghi ngờ tính khả thi của kế hoạch. (Right from the start, he doubted the plan's feasibility.)
Variants and Related Words
- Ban đầu (adv): at first, originally. A very common synonym.
- Ban đầu, cô ấy định từ chối. (Originally, she intended to refuse.)
- Lúc đầu (adv): at first, in the beginning. A common synonym in spoken language.
- Lúc đầu trời nắng, sau đó mới mưa. (At first it was sunny, then it rained.)
- Thoạt đầu (adv): at first, at the outset. A more literary synonym.
- Thoạt đầu nghe tin, ai cũng bàng hoàng. (Upon first hearing the news, everyone was stunned.)
Synonyms
- Lúc ban đầu: at the very beginning.
- Thời gian đầu: in the early period/time.
Antonyms
- Về sau: later on, afterwards.
- Cuối cùng: finally, in the end.
- Sau này: later, in the future.