zumindestens

German

Etymology

Blend of zumindest +‎ mindestens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡suˈmɪndəstəns/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

zumindestens (colloquial, nonstandard)

1. at least

   Es ist wolkig, aber zumindestens regnet es nicht.

   It's cloudy, but at least it's not raining.

   Das Haus ist zumindestens 20 Meter hoch.

   The house is at least 20 metres tall.

Usage notes

• Contemporary German generally makes a distinction between zumindest (“in any event”) and mindestens (“no less than”). As shown above, the blended form zumindestens can be used in both contexts, although it is more often heard for zumindest (sentence 1) than for mindestens (sentence 2).