barely
gb/bˈɛɹli/ us/bˈɛɹli/
B1
Inglés
~ 8300
alig, épphogy
B1
1
Patrón de uso:
barely [verb] / barely [adjective]
I could barely hear him over the music.
A zene miatt alig hallottam őt.
She barely passed the exam after studying all night.
Egész éjszakai tanulás után épphogy átment a vizsgán.
We barely made the last train home.
He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open.
The numbers are so small they’re barely noticeable on the chart.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
I was so sick I could barely eat.
Annyira beteg voltam, hogy alig tudtam enni.
The baby is so quiet I can barely hear her.
A baba olyan csendes, hogy alig hallom.
We were late and barely caught the bus.
She was so nervous she could barely speak.
It was dark, and I could barely see the road.
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse "barely" with "rarely". "Barely" means something almost does not happen or is almost not true (I barely slept = I almost did not sleep), while "rarely" means it does not happen often (I rarely sleep before midnight = I do not often sleep before midnight). Another mistake is to use a double negative like *"I didn't barely pass"*; in standard English we say "I barely passed."
Significado
almost not; by a very small amount
Colocaciones
can barely
|barely manage to
|barely pass
|barely noticeable
|barely visible
|barely hear
Sinónimos
hardly (Very close in meaning; often interchangeable, though 'hardly' is slightly more common in everyday speech.)
|
scarcely (Similar meaning but sounds a bit more formal or literary in modern English.)
Antónimos
easily (Describes doing something with no difficulty, the opposite of just managing to do it.)
|
clearly (Opposite when talking about seeing or hearing something without any difficulty.)
Temas
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definición
Almost not; used when something happens or is true, but only by a very small amount.
To almost not happen, exist, or be true; by only a very small margin.
B1
2
alig
A2
Patrón de uso:
barely [number/amount/time]
There were barely 20 people at the concert.
Alig húsz ember volt a koncerten.
We have barely enough money to pay the rent this month.
Ebben a hónapban alig van annyi pénzünk, hogy ki tudjuk fizetni a lakbért.
It’s barely 9 a.m., and I’m already exhausted.
The glass was barely half full when he finished speaking.
She’s barely five years old and already reading simple books.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
We had barely enough food for everyone.
Alig volt elég étel mindenkinek.
There was barely any traffic this morning.
Ma reggel alig volt forgalom.
It is barely ten minutes from my house to the station.
Only five students came; the room was barely half full.
He is barely eighteen, but he lives alone.
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use "barely" where "almost" is needed. "Barely" focuses on a very small but real amount (There is barely any water = there is a little water). "Almost" means not reaching that amount (There is almost no water = it is very close to zero, but the focus is on not reaching zero). Also, avoid saying *"barely many"*; use "barely any" or a specific number (barely ten people).
Significado
only; no more than a small amount
Colocaciones
barely enough
|barely any
|barely a minute
|barely 20 people
|barely half
|barely time
Sinónimos
just (Very common near-synonym in this sense, especially before numbers and amounts (just 10 minutes, barely 10 minutes).)
|
only (Often interchangeable, but "only" is more neutral while "barely" suggests the amount is almost too small.)
Antónimos
plenty (Suggests more than enough, the opposite of a very small or just-enough amount.)
|
more than enough (A phrase that directly contrasts with the idea of having just enough or slightly too little.)
Temas
daily life
|numbers
|core_vocabulary
Definición
Only; no more than a small number, amount, or time.
Used to say that a number, amount, or time is very small, or just enough and no more.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
barely
AFI
GB/bˈɛɹli/
US/bˈɛɹli/
Sílabas y acento
barely (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (barely)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: barely
- Plural: barelies
Familia de palabras
Expresiones
barely alive
1/bˈɛɹli əlˈaɪv/
fixed phrase
in a very weak, near-death state
Used to describe a person, animal, or thing that is so weak or damaged that it seems almost dead.
Ejemplos
- The hikers were rescued from the snow, barely alive.
- The plant was barely alive after weeks without water.
- They brought the dog to the vet, barely alive but still breathing.
barely enough
1/bˈɛɹli ɪnˈʌf/
fixed phrase
only just sufficient in amount
Used to say that an amount is just enough and no more, and may not really be sufficient.
Ejemplos
- We had barely enough chairs for all the guests.
- His salary is barely enough to cover rent and food.
- There was barely enough time to ask one question.
barely legal
1/bˈɛɹli lˈiɡəl/
fixed phrase
informal
just at the legal age or limit
Used to say that someone or something is just at the lowest age or level that the law allows.
Ejemplos
- The club was full of barely legal students celebrating their birthdays.
- Some people criticize ads that use models who look barely legal.
- He started his own company when he was barely legal to sign contracts.
barely there
1/bˈɛɹli ðˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
very slight or almost invisible
Used to describe something that is present, but so light, small, or weak that it is almost not there.
Ejemplos
- She wore barely there makeup for a natural look.
- The pain is now barely there after the medicine.
- His smile was barely there, but I noticed it.
can barely
1/kən bˈɛɹli/
fixed phrase
almost not able to do something
Used before a verb to say that it is very hard to do something and you almost cannot do it.
Ejemplos
- I’m so tired I can barely think.
- She can barely walk after running the marathon.
- We can barely hear you; could you speak louder?