Since first, firstly and at first have similar spellings, you might well think that they are synonyms, but they are not. Using these words is not difficult, but misusing them can make a huge difference in meaning. Therefore, learning these words in context is the most practical way to build vocabulary and to understand their use.
First means ‘preceding all others’.
e.g
'First, second and third are ordinal numbers in English'.
I’m always the first to arrive.”
'Who was the first person to travel into outer space?
In the sentence "When I first saw you, I said “Oh, my”!, first is the same as ‘for the first time’ ( In Portuguese= pela primeira vez)
When we MAKE LISTS, we can use both first or firstly. In Portuguese both words mean “primeiramente”. Some lexicographers say that they differ in degree of formality. Firstly is more formal than first. e.g "There are several reasons for studying English. First (ly,)…”. Anyway, no matter which one you choose, it is important to know that they are not always interchangeable. Note that we say first and foremost, not 'firstly and foremost’ and first of all, not 'firstly of all’.
At first means ‘initially’( In Port. = no início). E.g "At first, I didn’t like her very much, but now we are good friends.”
Is the difference in meaning clear now?
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