Breakdown of Er hat es gewusst, zumindest behauptet sie das.
haben
to have
wissen
to know (a fact)
behaupten
to claim
zumindest
at least (restricting a claim)
Questions & Answers about Er hat es gewusst, zumindest behauptet sie das.
Why does the verb behauptet come right after zumindest?
Zumindest is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction like und or aber. It takes up the first position in the second clause, so the verb behauptet must take the second position, pushing the subject sie to the third position.
Could I use mindestens or wenigstens instead of zumindest here?
You can use wenigstens here, as both zumindest and wenigstens mean "at least" in the sense of limiting a statement or offering a minimum concession. However, mindestens is generally used for measurable amounts or numbers (like "at least three weeks"), so it would not fit this context.
Why use gewusst (from wissen) here instead of a form of kennen?
Even though both mean "to know", wissen is used for knowing facts or having information, which is represented here by the pronoun es (it). Kennen is used for being familiar with a person, place, or entity, and would usually require a specific noun or name as a direct object rather than just es.
What exactly does das refer to at the end of the sentence?