A stack of brightly colored wooden building blocks reaching almost to the ceiling, with a small gap remaining between the top block and the ceiling.

casi

/KAH-see/

AdverbA1

almost?General use,nearly?General use

Also:about?When approximating a number or time,just about?Emphasizing closeness

📝 In Action

La sopa está casi lista.

The soup is almost ready.

Son casi las tres de la tarde.

It's almost three in the afternoon.

Casi me caigo en el hielo.

I almost fell on the ice.

Casi nunca como carne.

I hardly ever eat meat.

Hemos visitado casi todos los museos de la ciudad.

We have visited almost all the museums in the city.

Word Connections

Synonyms

por poco (nearly, almost (often with a sense of a narrow escape))
prácticamente (practically, virtually)

Antonyms

exactamente (exactly)
justo (just, right on)

Common Collocations

casi siempre – almost always
casi nunca – almost never, hardly ever
casi nadie – almost nobody, hardly anyone
casi nada – almost nothing, hardly anything
casi todo – almost everything

💡 Grammar Points

What 'Casi' Does

Casi is a describing word. It tells you how close something is to happening or being true. It's great because it never changes its form—it's always just casi.

Where to Put 'Casi'

You'll usually place casi right before the word it's describing. For example: casi termino (I almost finish), casi perfecto (almost perfect), or casi diez (almost ten).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Saying 'Hardly' or 'Almost Not'

Mistake: "No casi tengo tiempo."

Correction: Casi no tengo tiempo. (I hardly have any time.) To say 'almost not' or 'hardly', the phrase is `casi no`. The `casi` comes first.

⭐ Usage Tips

For Exaggeration and Storytelling

Just like in English, you can use casi to make a story more dramatic. For example, instead of 'Me asusté' (I got scared), you could say '¡Casi me muero del susto!' (I almost died of fright!).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: casi

Question 1 of 1

How would you say 'We ate almost everything'?

📚 More Resources

Words that Rhyme with casi

así

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'casi' and 'por poco'?

They both mean 'almost' or 'nearly' and are often interchangeable. 'Casi' is much more common in everyday speech. 'Por poco' often adds a little more drama, suggesting a narrow escape, like '¡Por poco me caigo!' (I nearly fell!).

Does 'casi' ever change its ending to match gender or number?

Nope! `Casi` is an 'invariable' word, which is just a simple way of saying it always stays the same. It doesn't matter if you're talking about one thing or many, or if a noun is masculine or feminine. It's always just `casi`.