beinahe

almost, nearly

adverb BY-nah-e Rare

Usage Note

Beinahe is a near-synonym of fast but slightly more literary and often stronger in near-miss contexts. Er wäre beinahe gestürzt conveys a closer call than er ist fast gestürzt. Both are grammatically interchangeable.

Examples

"Sie hat beinahe den letzten Zug verpasst."

Natural Translation

She almost missed the last train.

Literal Translation

She has almost the last train missed.

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