adverb
initially, at first
B1
anfangs: temporal adverb meaning 'initially' or 'at first'. Used to indicate the beginning of a period or action (e.g., 'anfangs war es schwierig'). Often sentence-initial or adverbial; interchangeable with 'am Anfang' in many contexts. Not reflexive or inflected; placed before verbs or clauses for time reference.
Examples
Anfangs misstraute das Team dem Vorschlag, weil die Risiken nicht deutlich erklärt wurden.
At first the team mistrusted the proposal because the risks were not explained clearly.
Anfangs war ich skeptisch.
At first I was skeptical.
Anfangs funktionierte die Maschine nicht.
Initially, the machine didn't work.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a timeline with the word 'anfangs' pinned to its very start.
Sounds a bit like 'an fangs' — imagine fangs at the beginning to recall 'at the beginning'.
Notes
A temporal adverb meaning 'at the beginning' or 'initially'. Common in written and spoken German to introduce how something started.