The discussions were a prelude to the treaty.是什么意思？

The discussions were a prelude to the treaty.

这些讨论是签订该条约的前奏.

the

art. 指已提到的人（物），指说话人与听者已知的人（物），用于独一无二的事物前，与形容词最高级和序数词连用；

例句
He did have a real knowledge of the country...
他对该国的确知之甚多。

discussions

n. 讨论( discussion的名词复数 )，商讨，详述，论述；

例句
...fruitless discussions about abstruse resolutions.
对于令人费解的决议案毫无成果的讨论

were

be的过去时复数和第二人称单数形式，有时代替 was,用于条件从句、动词 wish 之后等；

例句
Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.
店铺、房子和车辆全都陷于火海。

prelude

n. 序曲，前奏曲，开场戏，序幕，前兆，预兆；v. 为…作序，开头，成为…的序曲，演奏序曲，唱开场戏；

例句
Most unions see privatisation as an inevitable prelude to job losses...
大多数工会认为私有化会不可避免地导致失业。

to

prep. 向，朝着，到，关于，属于；adv. 朝一个方向的，到某种状态，关闭；

例句
I suggest you leave it to an expert...
我建议你把它留给专家来解决。

treaty

n. 条约，协议，协商，谈判；

例句
Delegates signed a treaty to reduce the armouries of conventional weapons in Europe.
各代表签署了协议以减少欧洲的常规武器装备。