soweit

Soweit is a German term that functions as both a subordinating conjunction and an adverb. It expresses extent, limitation, or qualification and can be translated as “to the extent that,” “as far as,” or “insofar as.”

Grammatically, soweit introduces a subordinate clause when used as a conjunction: for example, “Soweit ich weiß, ist der Terminplan flexibel” (As far as I know, the schedule is flexible). As an adverbial phrase, it can modify the entire sentence or a verb phrase: “Soweit möglich, werde ich teilnehmen” (As far as possible, I will participate). It also appears in fixed expressions such as “Es ist soweit” (The time has come) and “Soweit ich gehört habe” (As far as I have heard).

Common collocations include “soweit bekannt” (as far as is known), “soweit möglich” or “soweit es geht” (as far as possible/as far as it goes), and “soweit der Fall” (if that is the case). These usages signal that a statement is constrained by some limit, condition, or amount of information.

Origin and style notes: Soweit derives from the two-word phrase “so weit” and is now written as a single word in standard Modern German. It is widely used in formal writing, journalism, and legal language, but also occurs in everyday spoken German to hedge statements or introduce qualifications.

See also: insofern, soweit es geht, soweit wie möglich.