01
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 fast
almost
'fast' and 'beinahe' have very similar meanings: something was close to being true or happening, but not quite. In many sentences, you can swap the two words. 'fast' is especially common and neutral in everyday language. 'beinahe' sometimes sounds a little stronger, especially when something narrowly did not happen. For an accident or mistake, 'beinahe' therefore sounds very natural, but 'fast' would usually also be correct.
beinahe
Auf dem nassen Weg seid ihr beinahe ausgerutscht.
On the wet path, you almost slipped.
fast
Der Lehrer vergisst fast seine Tasche im Supermarkt.
The teacher almost forgets his bag at the supermarket.
In real life
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