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
kaum
hardly / barely
Means 'gerade erst' (just now) or 'kurz nachdem' (shortly after). It describes that one action follows immediately after another.
EXAMPLE
Kaum war er zur Tür hinaus, fing es an zu regnen.
Hardly had he gone out the door when it started to rain.
wohl kaum
hardly likely
A fixed expression used to express strong doubt, disbelief, or a clear negation.
EXAMPLE
Du glaubst doch wohl kaum, dass ich dir das abkaufe.
You can hardly believe that I’m buying that from you.
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 gerade
right now / straight
Gerade shows that an action is happening now or happened just a very short time ago. Kaum, on the other hand, links two actions and emphasizes that the second follows immediately after the first. Kaum is therefore a better fit for this quick sequence.
kaum
Kaum war ich am Bahnhof angekommen, fuhr der Zug ein.
Hardly had I arrived at the train station when the train pulled in.
gerade
Ich bin gerade am Bahnhof angekommen.
I have just arrived at the train station.
In real life
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