insgesamt
overall
Expresses a summary or the overall result; all things taken together, considered as a whole.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben insgesamt 250 Euro für die Geschenke ausgegeben.
We spent a total of 250 euros on the gifts.
insgesamt
overall
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word formation
The word is made up of 'in' (in) and 'gesamt' (whole/total). 'Gesamt' means 'ganz' (whole) or 'total' (total). The meaning 'alles zusammengenommen' (all things taken together) can therefore be derived directly from its components.
EXAMPLE
Die Renovierung hat insgesamt drei Monate gedauert.
The renovation took three months in total.
Word order
As an adverb, 'insgesamt' (overall/in total) is flexible. It can stand at the beginning of the sentence in position 1, which triggers inversion (verb in position 2). But it can also stand after the verb in the middle of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Insgesamt war der Urlaub sehr schön.
Overall, the vacation was very nice.
Typical use
'Insgesamt' (overall/in total) is typically used to take stock or give a summary. It often introduces a sentence that contains a final result, a total sum, or a concluding evaluation.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben drei Pizzen bestellt, das macht insgesamt 35 Euro.
We ordered three pizzas; that makes 35 euros in total.
Compare with
insgesamt vs zusammen
together
With several amounts, both zusammen and insgesamt can work. Zusammen draws attention to adding up the individual amounts, while insgesamt emphasizes the result or the total amount. Use zusammen when you are calculating and insgesamt when you are summarizing the completed total.
insgesamt
Für die beiden Fahrkarten bezahlen wir insgesamt 24 Euro.
We are paying a total of 24 euros for the two tickets.
zusammen
Die beiden Fahrkarten kosten zusammen 24 Euro.
The two tickets cost 24 euros together.
In real life
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