01
kaum
hardly / barely
Means 'fast nicht' (almost not) or 'nur sehr wenig' (only very little). It expresses a strong limitation or a very small amount.
example
Ich habe letzte Nacht kaum geschlafen.
I hardly slept last night.
kaum
hardly / barely
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word order
When 'kaum' (hardly/barely) is at the beginning of a sentence, the verb follows directly after it (inversion). This word order strongly emphasizes the statement.
EXAMPLE
Kaum hatte ich das Haus verlassen, da rief mein Chef an.
Hardly had I left the house when my boss called.
Sentence structure with 'als' or 'da'
In the meaning of 'gerade erst' (just now), 'kaum' (hardly/barely) is often used in a two-part structure: the first clause begins with 'kaum', and the second with 'als' or 'da'.
EXAMPLE
Kaum saßen wir im Zug, als er auch schon losfuhr.
Hardly had we sat down on the train when it already started moving.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of 'fast nicht' (almost not), 'kaum' (hardly/barely) often appears in fixed expressions such as 'etwas kaum erwarten können' (to hardly be able to wait for something), 'kaum zu glauben sein' (to be hard to believe), or 'sich kaum halten können' (to barely be able to hold on/keep upright).
EXAMPLE
Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dich wiederzusehen.
I can hardly wait to see you again.
Use of 'wohl kaum'
The expression 'wohl kaum' (hardly likely) expresses strong doubt or a polite but firm rejection. It is often used as an ironic or skeptical response.
EXAMPLE
Er wird pünktlich sein? Das glaube ich wohl kaum.
He’ll be on time? I hardly think so.
Compare with
kaum vs sehr
very
'sehr' and 'kaum' can both come before adjectives, adverbs, or verbs, but they express almost the opposite. 'sehr' means that something is strong or true to a high degree. 'kaum' means 'almost not' or 'only very little'. So 'sehr verständlich' means easy to understand, while 'kaum verständlich' means almost impossible to understand. The risk of confusion comes from the fact that both change the strength of a statement. Pay attention: 'sehr' makes the statement stronger, while 'kaum' makes it almost negative.
kaum
Meine Nachbarin kann wegen des Lärms kaum schlafen.
My neighbor can hardly sleep because of the noise.
sehr
Morgen ist der Termin des Chefs sehr wichtig.
Tomorrow, the boss's appointment is very important.
In real life
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