zumindest

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German

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Etymology

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zu +‎ mindest

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /t͡suˈmɪndəst/
  • Audio:(file)

Adverb

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zumindest

  1. at least
    Synonyms: immerhin, mindestens, wenigstens
    Du brauchst zumindest einen Führerschein, um Auto zu fahren.
    You need at least a driving license to drive a car.
    Geleistet hast du nichts, aber zumindest bist du überhaupt gekommen.
    You haven’t contributed anything, but at least you’ve shown up.

Usage notes

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  • Although zumindest and mindestens can often be used interchangeably, there is a tendency to distinguish them. Mindestens is preferred when there is an actual ranking, particularly one involving numbers, whereas zumindest is used otherwise.
  • In the examples above, mindestens could be used alternatively in the first sentence, whereas it would sound awkward in the second. The difference is that sentence 2 does not express a requirement or lower limit but simply the insufficiency of the addressed person’s efforts.

Further reading

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  • zumindest” in Duden online
  • zumindest” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache