erstens
Translation
firstly, in the first place
Examples
Erstens ist es zu teuer, zweitens habe ich keine Zeit.
Firstly it's too expensive, secondly I don't have time.
Ich habe mehrere Gründe: erstens, ...
I have several reasons: firstly, ...
Grammar Patterns
((at the beginning of a clause)) firstly, in the first place Erstens ist das Wetter schlecht.
Similar Words
zuerst, zunächst
Etymology
From 'erst' (first) plus the adverbial suffix '-ens' used for ordinals.
Memory Tips
Think of it as the start of a numbered list: 'erstens, zweitens, drittens...' (firstly, secondly, thirdly...).