quasi si metteva a piangere

almost

quasi mai hardly ever

* * *

quasi avv.

1 ( circa) almost; nearly; ( con significato negativo) hardly: il pranzo è quasi pronto, lunch is almost (o nearly) ready; la lezione era quasi finita, the lesson was almost (o nearly) over; la sala era quasi piena, the room was nearly (o almost) full; siamo quasi arrivati, we're nearly there; ''Hai finito?'' ''Quasi'', ''Have you finished?'' ''Nearly'' (o ''Almost''); è quasi un'ora che ti aspetto, I've been waiting for you for nearly (o almost) an hour; sono quasi le tre, it's nearly (o almost) three o'clock; quasi sempre, almost always; quasi mai, hardly ever; sono venuti quasi tutti, almost (o nearly) all of them came; non c'era quasi nessuno alla conferenza, there was hardly anyone at the talk; non mi è rimasto quasi niente, I've hardly anything left // ''é quasi in miseria'' ''Senza quasi'', ''He's almost penniless'' ''Forget the almost!'' // erano cinquanta o quasi, there were nearly fifty of them

2 ( forse) perhaps: quasi potremmo avviarci verso casa, perhaps we'd better be getting home; sarebbe quasi meglio che non fosse venuto, perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't come // ( quasi) quasi verrei anch'io, I might just come myself

3 ( per poco non) (very) nearly: ( quasi) quasi cadevo dalle scale, I very nearly fell down the stairs; ( quasi) quasi si metteva a piangere, she very nearly burst into tears

4 (in alcuni agg. o nomi composti, con valore di semi-) quasi: quasi contratto, (dir.) quasi contract; quasi ufficiale, quasi official.

* * *

1. avv

(gen) almost, nearly, (restrittivo) hardly, scarcely

2. cong

(come se) as if

* * *

1) (in frasi affermative) almost, nearly

2) (in frasi negative) hardly, scarcely

3) (forse)

4) (per poco)

5) (iterato per esprimere desiderio)

* * *

quasi

/'kwazi/

I avverbio

 1 (in frasi affermative) almost, nearly; sono quasi le otto it's almost o nearly o (just) about eight o'clock; la quasi totalità degli studenti almost all the students; costa quasi 10 euro it costs nearly o almost 10 euros; quasi sempre almost o nearly always; siamo quasi pronti we're almost o (just) about ready; quasi uguali almost o mostly the same, nearly identical; tutti o quasi everybody or almost everybody

 2 (in frasi negative) hardly, scarcely; non c'era quasi nessuno hardly o scarcely anybody was there; non resta quasi nulla there's hardly o scarcely anything left; non ha mangiato niente o quasi she ate hardly anything o little or nothing o next to nothing; non succede quasi mai it hardly o scarcely ever happens

 3 (forse) oserei quasi dire che... I would almost venture to say that...

 4 (per poco) stava quasi per annegare o quasi annegava he was nearly drowning

 5 (iterato per esprimere desiderio) quasi quasi vengo anch'io I might just come as well, I have half a mind to come too; una birra? - quasi quasi a beer? - why not?

II congiunzione

 as if.