hardly
gb/hˈɑɹdli/ us/hˈɑɹdli/
A2
Kiingereza
~ 1200
Maana
maana 0
adverb
A2
property
1
Almost not at all
Used to say that something is almost not true or happens very little.
Muundo wa matumizi:
hardly [verb]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'hardly' with 'with difficulty.' In modern English, 'hardly' usually means 'almost not,' not 'with hard effort.'
Visawe
barely (Very close in meaning; often interchangeable, but 'barely' can sometimes sound slightly more formal or emphatic.)
Vinyume
easily (Opposite in the sense of something being done with no difficulty instead of almost not at all.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
hardly ever
|hardly noticeable
|hardly worth it
|hardly enough
Mada
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- I can hardly hear you over the noise.
- She hardly spoke during the meeting.
- We hardly have enough time to finish this project.
- It's hardly surprising that they lost the game.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I hardly know him.
- She hardly eats any sweets.
- We hardly have any milk left.
- He hardly talks in class.
adverb
B1
relation
2
Only a short time ago
Used to say something happened not long before another thing.
Muundo wa matumizi:
hardly [past perfect verb] when [past tense clause]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may confuse this with the simple past. This pattern often uses the past perfect for the first clause and past tense for the second.
Visawe
scarcely (Very similar meaning; 'scarcely' is slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.)
Vinyume
long before (Indicates much more time between two events, opposite of 'only just before.')
Miunganiko ya maneno
had hardly begun
|hardly finished
|hardly started
Mada
daily life
|storytelling
|time
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- I had hardly sat down when the phone rang.
- She had hardly started her speech before the fire alarm went off.
- We had hardly arrived when it began to rain.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I had hardly eaten when he called.
- She had hardly begun when it was time to stop.
- We had hardly left when it started to snow.
Sarufi
Semi
can hardly wait
1/kən hˈɑɹdli wˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
Very eager for something
Used to say you are very excited about something that will happen soon.
Mifano
- I can hardly wait for the weekend to arrive.
- She can hardly wait to see her family again.
could hardly believe
1/kˈʊd hˈɑɹdli bɪlˈiv/
fixed phrase
Almost unable to believe
Used to say you found something very surprising or hard to accept as true.
Mifano
- I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the price.
- He could hardly believe she had won the race.
hardly ever
1/hˈɑɹdli ˈɛvɚ/
fixed phrase
Almost never
Used to say that something happens very rarely.
Mifano
- I hardly ever go to the cinema these days.
- She hardly ever eats chocolate.
- She hardly ever eats meat.