beinahe
almost
Expresses that something nearly or by a hair's breadth would have happened, but ultimately did not occur. Synonymous with 'fast' (almost).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe den Bus beinahe verpasst.
I almost missed the bus.
beinahe
almost
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word 'beinahe' (almost) is made up of the words 'bei' (by/near) and 'nahe' (near). So it literally describes a state that was very close to an outcome but did not reach it.
EXAMPLE
Wir wären beinahe zu spät gekommen.
We almost arrived too late.
Sentence position
'Beinahe' (almost) is an adverb and does not change the word order in a main clause when it stands in the middle of the sentence. But if it stands in position 1, the verb follows in position 2.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sein Handy beinahe im Zug liegen lassen.
He almost left his phone on the train.
Nuance of meaning
The most important aspect of 'beinahe' (almost) is that the event described did not happen in the end. The sentence 'Er hat den Rekord beinahe gebrochen' (He almost broke the record) means that the record still stands.
EXAMPLE
Das Glas ist mir beinahe heruntergefallen, aber ich konnte es noch fangen.
I almost dropped the glass, but I was still able to catch it.
Compare with
beinahe vs ziemlich
pretty / fairly
beinahe clearly shows that a state was narrowly not reached. ziemlich can also mean almost, especially in the form so ziemlich, but is often understood as an indication of degree. beinahe is therefore the clearer choice for something that nearly happened in full but fell just short.
beinahe
Nach drei Stunden war die Arbeit beinahe fertig, obwohl noch eine Kleinigkeit fehlte.
After three hours, the work was almost finished, although one small thing was still missing.
ziemlich
Nach drei Stunden war die Arbeit so ziemlich fertig, obwohl noch eine Kleinigkeit fehlte.
After three hours, the work was pretty much finished, although one small thing was still missing.
In real life
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