How to say “at least” – Almeno: Italian grammar lesson 50

Almeno is the Italian word for “at least. It comes from two Italian words “al” and “meno” and it’s used to refer to a lower limit when talking about quantities or actions.

Start here

You’ll receive my free resources together with my best offers! Opt out at any time.

How to say “At least” in Italian?

In this lesson, we will look at how to say “at least” in Italian, and how to use it correctly within a sentence.

Let’s have a look at some examples of how to use almeno.

Mi piacerebbe avere almeno due gatti.

I would like to have at least two cats.

In this case, the speaker wants to have minimum two cats, and maybe more!

Voglio almeno pranzare prima di uscire.

I want to at least have lunch before leaving.

In this case, almeno refers to an action. The speaker wants to have lunch, and maybe do something else before leaving.

Almeno in Italian

almeno in italian

Be careful, even if almeno is a compound adverb made up of two words (al and meno) it must be written all together at all times!

Free Guide
How to Learn Languages Fast

Used with the indicative mood it always goes before the thing or action described, just like “at least” in English:

Guadagna almeno mille euro al mese.

He makes at least a thousand euros a month.

Devi lavarti i denti almeno due volte al giorno.

You should brush your teeth at least twice a day.

How to use almeno with the subjunctive?

almeno with subjunctive

When used with the subjunctive imperfect (congiuntivo imperfetto), almeno indicates a desire in a hypothetical sentence, like the English “if only“:

(Se) almeno piovesse!

If only it rained!

Se almeno mi parlasse, potremmo risolvere il problema.

If only he talked to me, we could solve the problem.

If, on the other hand, we use the subjunctive mood in the past tense with almeno, we will be talking about regret, something that we wished happened but did not.

Se almeno si fossero sposati, ora forse non avrebbe così tanti problemi.

If only they had married, maybe now she would not have so many problems.

Se almeno mi avesse aiutato… E invece no, ho fatto tutto da sola!

If only he had helped me… But no, I had to do it all on my own!

Still translating in your head? Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano's courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!

FAQs on How to say “at least” – Almeno: Italian grammar lesson 50

Almeno + Indicative mood

It always goes before the action described, just like "at least" in English.

Almeno + Imperfect subjunctive

It indicates a desire in a hypothetical sentence, like the English "if only".

Almeno + Past subjunctive

It's used for talking about regret, something that we wished happened but did not.

Stefano

Italian language tutor, course author, and polyglot. After learning 12 languages, I can tell you that we all master languages by listening and mimicking. With my method, you'll be speaking Italian from Lesson 1.

Follow me to fluency​

Receive my free resources once a week together with my best offers! No need to look around, just tell me where to send everything.

Follow me to fluency

Receive my free resources once a week together with my best offers! No need to look around, just tell me where to send everything.

Opt out at any time.

Leave a Reply

Share:

Still translating in your head?

Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano’s courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!

Let me show you around

Try my courses for free​
ripeti con me mockup sm
Overcome your Barriers

Anything holding you back from becoming fluent?
Get on the right track today with my free checklist!

pain learning languages checklist preview
How long to fluency?

Find out how long it will take you to master Italian!
Get on the right track in 3 minutes.

dolce vita logo

We're already friends!

Coming from Luca and Marina?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
all language resources

We're already friends!

Coming from All Language Resources?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
GRAB A COUPON NOW, REDEEM IT LATER
50% OFF

To receive free resources once a week together with my best offers, just tell me where to send everything. Opt out at any time.