der Auftakt
Translation
prelude, opening, kick-off, upbeat
Examples
Das Festival hatte einen gelungenen Auftakt.
The festival had a successful start.
Der Auftakt der Konferenz ist morgen früh.
The kick-off of the conference is tomorrow morning.
Grammar Patterns
der Auftakt zu+3 the start of sth. That was the start of a successful career.
Similar Words
Synonyms: beginning, start, opening; Antonyms: end, conclusion
Etymology
From 'auf' (up) + 'Takt' (beat). Originally the 'upbeat' before the first main beat in music, it came to mean any beginning.
Memory Tips
Think of a conductor's baton going 'auf' (up) for the first 'Takt' (beat) of a piece. It's the very beginning.