Two ways of saying at least, and they are not swappable
| wenigstens | at least (a consolation) | Es regnet, aber *wenigstens ist es warm.* |
| zumindest | at least (a restriction on a claim) | Er hat es gewusst — *zumindest behauptet sie das.* |
wenigstens softens a disappointment; zumindest narrows what you are prepared to assert. Where a number is involved, German uses mindestens.
| It is raining, but at least it is warm. | Es regnet, aber wenigstens ist es warm. |
höchstens is the other end
höchstens caps a quantity or a concession: Das dauert *höchstens zehn Minuten.*
The summatives
| alles in allem | all in all |
| im Grunde genommen | basically, when it comes down to it |
| im Übrigen | incidentally, for the rest |
| zum Teil | partly |
| unter anderem | among other things (often abbreviated u. a.) |
im Grunde genommen is frozen: Grunde keeps its old dative -e, and the participle never changes.
| All in all the trip was a success. | Alles in allem war die Reise ein Erfolg. |
jedenfalls and sowieso
jedenfalls closes off a discussion — whatever the case, this much holds. sowieso says the point is moot because the outcome was fixed anyway: Ich wollte *sowieso gehen.*
| I wanted to go home anyway. | Ich wollte sowieso nach Hause gehen. |
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