at the beginning —(also: in the beginning ) initially; at first:
- At the begining, he was simply darling to me. Lately, he is distant and not very responsive.
to begin with —(also: to start with)
1. most importantly:
- There were other considerations that made Dudley unsuitable. To begin with he was already married….
2. = at the beginning:
- To begin with he was against the Turks, later he suddenly changed policy and joined them for a short period.