This is the 10575th most frequent Russian word.
вначале
"Вначале" means "at first" or "in the beginning."
Here 'вначале' indicates the starting point or initial phase in a sequence of actions.
Вначале мы изучим основы, а затем перейдём к практическому применению.
At first, we will learn the basics, and then proceed to practical application.
In this sentence, 'вначале' refers to the physical or positional beginning of an object, in this case, a book.
Вначале книги находилась предисловие автора.
At the beginning of the book, there was the author's preface.
Here 'вначале' signifies the initial stance or position someone took in a situation.