adverbconjunction

kaum

hardly · barely

Etwas passiert nur sehr wenig oder fast gar nicht.

Definition & meaning

Kaum is an indeclinable German adverb meaning hardly, barely, scarcely, or almost not. It indicates a very small degree, amount, or likelihood.

Hardly / scarcely / almost not
- Ich kann kaum atmen. — “I can hardly breathe.”
- Sie hat kaum Zeit. — “She has hardly any time.”
- Kaum jemand kennt ihn. — “Hardly anyone knows him.”
Barely / only just It can describe something that happened with very little time or margin to spare.
- Er ist kaum angekommen. — “He has only just arrived.”
- Das Flugzeug war kaum gestartet, als es wieder landen musste. — “The plane had barely taken off when it had to land again.”
Hardly likely / scarcely possible
- Das ist kaum möglich. — “That is hardly possible.”
- Das ist kaum zu glauben. — “That is hard to believe.”

The construction kaum … als means no sooner … than:

Kaum war er gegangen, als das Telefon klingelte. — “No sooner had he left than the phone rang.”

Grammar & Word origin

Kaum is an indeclinable adverb, so its form never changes.

It usually comes directly before the word or phrase it limits:

kaum Zeit — hardly any time
kaum verständlich — hardly understandable
kaum jemand — hardly anyone
kaum glauben — hardly believe

In a main clause, kaum can appear at the beginning, causing the finite verb to come second:

Kaum hatte sie begonnen, klingelte das Telefon. — “She had barely begun when the telephone rang.”

The word comes from Middle High German kûm, meaning “with difficulty” or “hardly.” It is related to the idea of something being achieved only with difficulty or in a very small degree.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

fast nicht — “almost not”; very close in meaning to kaum, often more explicitly emphasizing negation.
beinahe nicht — “almost not”; somewhat more literal and less concise.
gerade noch — “only just”; emphasizes that something was achieved with a very narrow margin.
mit Mühe — “with difficulty”; focuses on the effort involved rather than on the small degree or amount.
wohl kaum — “hardly likely”; adds a sense of doubt or skepticism.

Antonyms

There is no single antonym for kaum in every context. Depending on the meaning, possible opposites include:

viel — “much” or “a lot,” as the opposite of a very small amount.
reichlich — “plentifully” or “abundantly.”
oft — “often,” as the opposite of a low frequency.
leicht — “easily,” when kaum refers to something being achieved only with difficulty.
sehr wahrscheinlich — “very likely,” as the opposite of kaum meaning “hardly likely.”