# at a stretch



## airelibre

How do you express this idea in Hebrew?

For example, "the lift can carry 5 people safely, and at a stretch, 10, but any more than that would be dangerous".

How about "with a stretch of the imagination"? If you haven't come across this, I will explain it's connotations, but since it's hard for me to do so, I won't do for now.


----------



## ystab

I would translate the first example as: המעלית יכולה לשאת חמישה אנשים בבטחה, לכל היותר עשרה, אבל יותר מכך זה כבר יהיה מסוכן. In colloquial speech I would say גג instead of לכל היותר. Do you have another example with this expression that cannot be substituted by the word maximum?

Regarding the second expression, I prefer the use of a verb (though you should rephrase and conjugate it accordingly): אם אתה מפעיל קצת את הדמיון, אם מפעילים מעט את הדמיון, etc.


----------



## arielipi

מקסימום works just fine


----------



## airelibre

Thanks, I think לכל היותר fits here, but maybe there's something better:

"It is possible to stress the third-to-last syllable in a word, *at a stretch* the fourth, but with any more syllables in a word a secondary stress appears, in addition to the primary stress."


----------



## ystab

Indeed, לכל היותר fits. 

There is one more expression that can be used in similar senses - במקרה הטוב. For example, המים יכולים להספיק לשלושה, במקרה הטוב ארבעה ימים.


----------



## ystab

And, regarding your last example, maybe we can go again for the verb form - ואם מתאמצים.


----------



## airelibre

Thank you, I especially like אם מתאמצים as an alternative.


----------



## arielipi

במקרה הטוב
isnt neutral, it is more of a desperate.


----------



## airelibre

airelibre said:


> Thanks, I think לכל היותר fits here, but maybe there's something better:
> 
> "It is possible to stress the third-to-last syllable in a word, *at a stretch* the fourth, but with any more syllables in a word a secondary stress appears, in addition to the primary stress."



Just to check, is this an acceptable rendering of the above sentence?

במילה אפשר להטעים את ההברה השנייה שלפני האחרונה, לכל היותר השלישית (שלפני האחרונה), אבל כשיש במילה מסוימת יותר הברות (מכך/מכן?), מופיע טעם משני בנוסף לטעם הראשי.

Also, in English it's considered bad style (I don't know why) to follow a comma with "and" or "but", is the same true in Hebrew?


----------



## arielipi

In hebrew any connective​ word except the last needs to be preceded by a comma.
the sentence si very good, no need for the words in parentheses.


----------



## Stifled

I think what you're looking for is: "בלחץ" which is used in speech only:

המעלית יכולה לשאת 10 אנשים, 12 *בלחץ*, אבל יותר מזה עלול להיות מסוכן.

Perhaps 'לכל היותר' is just a bit eloquent to be used in the spoken language *by some individuals*.


----------



## arielipi

בלחץ!?
לדעתי ממש לא קשור למה שהוא שאל.


----------



## Stifled

arielipi said:


> בלחץ!?
> לדעתי ממש לא קשור למה שהוא שאל.



Hummmmmmmm.......... Are you for real ariel?


----------



## arielipi

Yes I am, it does answer to the question technically, but not in deliverance; בלחץ is not as לכל היותר.


----------

