"du moins" is used in a restrictive sense (eg: "At least I tried")
"au moins" is used when refering to amounts/quantities (eg: "At least 5,000 attended the game")
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Are "au moins" and "du moins" used interchangeably in French? If so, which is more common; and if not, what are the rules in using each one?
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I would say that they are not always interchangeable because they can be used in two ways:- nous serons au moins 10 à la fête (we will be at least 10 at the party) = at minimum
- nous serons 10 à la fête, du moins en ce qui concerne les adultes (we will be 10 at the party, at least when it comes to adults) = restriction/slight correction of what was just said
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What if I were to say, "At least you didn't die," or "At least no one was hurt."?
Sitesurf - 25
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au moins, tu n'es pas mort / au moins, personne n'a été blessé
"au moins" means "at a minimum"
au moins 30 jours = at least 30 days (generally used before a quantity)
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Thanks. In summary:
"du moins" is used in a restrictive sense (eg: "At least I tried")
"au moins" is used when refering to amounts/quantities (eg: "At least 5,000 attended the game")
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