Hardly, barely: How and When to Use in English
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Hardly, barely
Hardly and barely mean 'just', 'not very much', or 'scarcely':
The weather is so bad that he can hardly see the road. The weather is so bad that he has difficulty seeing the road.
After his accident, he could barely walk. After his accident, he had great difficulty walking.
I can barely hear you. I can't hear you very well at all.
It should be noted that hardly and barely have negative connotations. Make sure you don't repeat the negative, as that would be grammatically incorrect:
You can barely walk, can you? (and NOT can't you?)
They hardly know anybody here. (and NOT nobody)
Exercise 1
Luna: The other day I saw a dragon flying along the freeway! I could believe my eyes.
Susie: What a coincidence, because right now I can't believe my ears.
Luna: I said: THE OTHER DAY I SAW -
Susie: I didn't say I had hearing.
Susie: What a coincidence, because right now I can't believe my ears.
Luna: I said: THE OTHER DAY I SAW -
Susie: I didn't say I had hearing.
Luna: The other day I saw a dragon flying along the freeway! I could barely 1 believe my eyes.
Susie: What a coincidence, because right now I can't believe my ears.
Luna: I said: THE OTHER DAY I SAW -
Susie: I didn't say I had trouble 2 hearing.
Susie: What a coincidence, because right now I can't believe my ears.
Luna: I said: THE OTHER DAY I SAW -
Susie: I didn't say I had trouble 2 hearing.
1 barely: 'Barely' is the best choice here. Luna is saying that she was so surprised that she 'doubted' what she saw.
1 almost: 'Almost' does not fit in this particular construction.
1 nearly: 'Nearly' does not make sense here. We cannot use 'nearly' with an abstract verb such as 'believe'.
2 trouble: 'Trouble' is the best choice here. Susie is saying that she did not have difficulty hearing what Luna said.
2 hardly: 'Hardly' cannot be used in a construction such as this. We cannot use 'hardly' before the -ING form of the verb.
2 almost: 'Almost' cannot be used in a construction such as this. When followed by had, we cannot use 'almost' before the -ING form of the verb.
Exercise 2
Bob: I got in a car accident this morning.
Susie: Oh my! Are you alright?
Bob: Yes, I'm fine. Luckily, God picked up my car and set it down out of harm's way.
Susie: Excuse me? God picked up your car?
Bob: I know! I can believe it myself!
Susie: Oh my! Are you alright?
Bob: Yes, I'm fine. Luckily, God picked up my car and set it down out of harm's way.
Susie: Excuse me? God picked up your car?
Bob: I know! I can believe it myself!
Bob: I almost 1 got in a car accident this morning.
Susie: Oh my! Are you alright?
Bob: Yes, I'm fine. Luckily, God picked up my car and set it down out of harm's way.
Susie: Excuse me? God picked up your car?
Bob: I know! I can hardly 2 believe it myself!
Susie: Oh my! Are you alright?
Bob: Yes, I'm fine. Luckily, God picked up my car and set it down out of harm's way.
Susie: Excuse me? God picked up your car?
Bob: I know! I can hardly 2 believe it myself!
1 almost: We use 'almost' to say that the accident 'nearly' happened, but it was avoided.
1 hardly: Because we know that Bob did not actually get in a car accident, we cannot use 'hardly'. If Bob 'hardly' got in the accident, it would mean that the accident actually occurred. Although, one cannot 'hardly' have a car accident: either you have one or you don't.
1 barely: Because we know that Bob did not actually get in a car accident, we cannot use 'barely'. If Bob 'barely' got in the accident, it would mean that the accident actually occurred. Although, one cannot 'barely' have a car accident: either you have one or you don't.
2 hardly: 'Hardly' is the best choice here. It describes Bob's surprise and bewilderment. 'To hardly believe something' expresses great surprise.
2 nearly: 'Nearly' cannot be used in this construction. We cannot use 'nearly' with an abstract verb such as 'believe'.
2 never: 'Never' does not make sense here. However, we could say: 'I would have never believed it was possible'.
Exercise 3
Polly: I went to this party the other night, but I know anybody.
Susie: I don't know how that feels.
Polly: Can't you at least pretend to sympathize with my problems?
Susie: I can hear you, you'll have to speak up.
Susie: I don't know how that feels.
Polly: Can't you at least pretend to sympathize with my problems?
Susie: I can hear you, you'll have to speak up.
Polly: I went to this party the other night, but I didn't 1 know anybody.
Susie: I really 2 don't know how that feels.
Polly: Can't you at least pretend to sympathize with my problems?
Susie: I can barely 3 hear you, you'll have to speak up.
Susie: I really 2 don't know how that feels.
Polly: Can't you at least pretend to sympathize with my problems?
Susie: I can barely 3 hear you, you'll have to speak up.
1 didn't: We use 'didn't' (did not) here because Polly is trying to say that she 'did not know any people at the party'. This is the best choice here.
1 hardly: We cannot use 'hardly' here because the phrase requires a past tense verb, as Polly is talking about an event that happened in the past. 'Hardly' is an adverb which describes the extent of something, and doesn't belong in this construction. We could say, however: 'I hardly knew anybody'.
1 not: We cannot use 'not' here because this construction requires a verb. In English, terms like 'no' and 'not' don't usually create and carry the negation of a phrase or sentence.
2 really: We use 'really' here as an intensifier, to emphasize that Susie truly doesn't know how it feels 'not to know' anyone at a party.
2 hardly: 'Don't' carries the negation in this sentence. The adverbs 'hardly' and 'barely' are considered negative terms, and so using them in a sentence which is already negative creates a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect in English.
2 possibly: 'I don't know' is a definitive declaration which cannot be qualified with a word like 'possibly'.
3 barely: The adverb 'barely' is considered a negative term. It describes the extent or degree of a feeling, action or thought. Susie tells Polly that she can't 'really' hear what she is saying. We know that Susie does not hear Polly because she says 'speak up', which means 'please speak more loudly'.
3 possibly: 'Possibly' does not make sense here. We would not say 'I can't possibly hear you' because Susie is sure about whether or not she can hear Polly, there is no sense of possibility here.
3 equally: Although 'equally' is grammatically correct in this case, it does not make sense. There is no reason for Susie to say this, and it has no place in the context of the dialogue.
Exercise 4
Tired parent #1: I havenât been on vacation for three years.
Tired parent #2: have I! I have enough time to plan a date with my wife, let alone a vacation.
Tired parent #2: have I! I have enough time to plan a date with my wife, let alone a vacation.
Tired parent #1: I havenât really 1 been on vacation for three years.
Tired parent #2: Neither 2 have I! I barely 3 have enough time to plan a date with my wife, let alone a vacation.
Tired parent #2: Neither 2 have I! I barely 3 have enough time to plan a date with my wife, let alone a vacation.
1 really: In this sentence, the parent is saying that they have not been on a "real" or "proper" vacation for three years. Perhaps they have been on a short trip or two, but not something which "really" qualified as a vacation. Another example: "Your suggestion is not really appropriate, Kevin" (It is not completely inappropriate, but it is somewhat inappropriate).
1 barely: Generally speaking, we use "barely" (and "hardly") in affirmative sentences, not negative ones. The parent could say: "I have barely been on vacation for three years".
1 almost: This sentence does not make sense with "almost". We mostly use "almost" in affirmative sentences, not negative ones. The parent could say: "We almost went on vacation last year, but then my husband got pneumonia".
2 Neither: Tired parent #2 is saying that the same negative statement also applies to them: they have not really been on vacation either. Note that we change the word order when responding using "neither" (or "so"). For example: "-I don't like pears. -Neither do I" (instead of the usual word order "I do").
2 So: We use "so" to reply to positive statements, not negative ones. For example: "-I loved our vacation in China. -So did I!".
2 Hardly: Generally speaking, we use "hardly" (and "barely") in affirmative sentences, not negative ones. The parent could say: "I have hardly been on vacation for three years either!". Another example: "There was hardly anyone at the meeting. I think lots of people are sick at the moment".
3 barely: Here, the parent is saying that they almost don't have time to plan a date with their wife. Therefore, they definitely don't have time to plan a vacation. "Barely" or "hardly" both communicate that something is almost not the case. Another example: "When I get home from work, I hardly have enough energy left to make dinner".
3 nearly: "Nearly" does not make sense in the context of this sentence, which continues with the words "let alone". "Let alone" always follows a negative statement, and the first half of this sentence would not be negative with "nearly". For example: "I can't juggle three balls, let alone four" (I can't juggle three balls, so I definitely can't juggle four balls).
3 totally: "Totally" does not make sense in the context of this sentence, which continues with the words "let alone". "Let alone" always follows a negative statement, and the first half of this sentence would not be negative with "totally". For example: "I can't juggle three balls, let alone four" (I can't juggle three balls, so I definitely can't juggle four balls).
Exercise 5
Jean: I know anything about where Horatio comes from. Iâm so ashamed!
Polly: Well, he speaks to anyone on an average day. I donât think you should feel bad about it.
Jean: I should invite him for a drink so I can find out more about him.
Polly: Well, he speaks to anyone on an average day. I donât think you should feel bad about it.
Jean: I should invite him for a drink so I can find out more about him.
Jean: I hardly 1 know anything about where Horatio comes from. Iâm so ashamed!
Polly: Well, he barely 2 speaks to anyone on an average day. I donât think you should feel bad about it.
Jean: I should really 3 invite him for a drink so I can find out more about him.
Polly: Well, he barely 2 speaks to anyone on an average day. I donât think you should feel bad about it.
Jean: I should really 3 invite him for a drink so I can find out more about him.
1 hardly: "Anything" is used in negative sentences. Therefore, "hardly" is the most appropriate choice here, because it conveys the meaning "almost not" or "almost nothing". Jean is saying that he knows almost nothing about where Horatio comes from. A similar example: "I hardly received anything for my birthday" (I received very few things).
1 really: We need to make this sentence negative because of the word "anything". Using "really" makes the sentence affirmative. Jean might say: "I really don't know anything about where Horatio comes from" or "I would really like to know more about where Horatio comes from".
1 almost: We need to make this sentence negative because of the word "anything". Using "almost" makes the sentence affirmative. Jean might say: "I know almost nothing about where Horatio comes from".
2 barely: Again, we need to use a negative word here because "anyone" is present in the sentence. Polly is saying that Horatio doesn't speak to many people on an average day. Another example: "-Did you hear that? -No. I can barely hear anything".
2 completely: We cannot "completely speak" in English: this doesn't mean anything. The word "completely" is used to refer to an action which can be done to various different degrees. For example: "I completely failed to notice the problem"; "He is completely heartbroken".
2 nearly: This sentence does not make sense with "nearly" (or "almost"), because we need to make the sentence negative. Polly could say: "Horatio speaks to nearly no one on an average day".
3 really: Jean is saying that it would be a very good idea for him to invite Horatio for a drink, and that this would be a good solution to the problem. The phrase "should really" can communicate that something is urgent, very important, or a very good idea. For example: "I have terrible toothache. I should really go to see a dentist".
3 hardly: It's not possible to "hardly" invite someone for a drink: you either invite them or you don't! To do something "hardly" is to do it to a very small degree. For example: "I hardly speak to my grandfather on the phone these days" (I don't speak to him very often).
3 barely: It's not possible to "barely" invite someone for a drink: you either invite them or you don't! To do something "barely" is to do it to a very small degree. For example: "I barely speak to my grandfather on the phone these days" (I don't speak to him very often).
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