hardly
adverb uk/ˈhɑːd.li/ us/ˈhɑːrd.li/
(ONLY JUST)
B1 仅仅；几乎不
only just; almost not
I could hardly hear her at the back. 我在后面几乎听不见她说什么。
The party had hardly started when she left. 她离开的时候聚会才刚刚开始。
He hardly ate anything/He ate hardly anything. 他几乎什么都没吃。
We hardly ever (= almost never) go to concerts. 我们几乎从不去听音乐会。
Hardly had a moment passed before the door creaked open. 没过一会儿，门就吱扭一声打开了。
- More examples
- It's so airless in here - I can hardly breathe.
- Hardly anyone turned up for the party.
- The instructions are printed so small I can hardly read them.
- "Where's Mikey?" "How should I know? He's hardly ever in the office these days."
- I hardly watch any television, apart from news and current affairs.
(CERTAINLY NOT)
B2 绝不
certainly not
You can hardly expect a pay rise when you've only been working for the company for two weeks! 你刚为公司工作了两个星期，别指望能加薪。
Well don't be angry with me - it's hardly my fault that it's raining! 好啦，别再生我的气了——下雨又不是我的错！
- More examples
- It's a policy that was hardly calculated to win votes.
- Her worldly success can hardly be denied.
- I had hoped for a little more from the world's greatest tenor, whose performance was workmanlike but hardly inspired.
- He had a few tufts of hair on his chin, but you could hardly call it a beard.
- It's hardly not surprising (that) you're putting on weight, considering how much you're eating.