наречие 1) а) едва, еле, насилу Например: I hardly ran away. — Я насилу убежал. They could hardly move. — Они едва могли пошевельнуться. б) (hardly when / as) лишь только... , как; как только Например: Hardly had I lit a cigarette as the wind blew it out of my hands. — Не успел я зажечь сигарету, как ветром её выбило у меня из рук. 2) едва ли, вряд ли; почти не Например: That news is hardly surprising. — Вряд ли это неожиданная новость. It's almost new - hardly a scratch on it! — Вещь-то почти совсем новая, почти без царапинки! I can hardly believe it! — В это невозможно поверить! You hardly ever tell me anything! — Ты мне почти никогда ничего не говоришь! You hardly know me, how can you be sure? — Как вы можете быть уверены - ведь вы меня почти не знаете? We hardly ever visit your parents. — Мы почти никогда не навещаем твоих родителей. 3) тяжело, с трудом; через силу Например: The spelling alone made some words hardly pronounceable. — Уже само по себе написание делало некоторые слова совершенно неудобопроизносимыми. The money hardly earned must be utilized well. — Деньги, заработанные с трудом, должны быть потрачены разумно. Синоним(ы): painfully, uneasily, with hardship 4) [устаревшее] резко, грубо, плохо; сурово, жестоко Например: Life pushed him hardly. — Жизнь жестоко с ним обошлась. Синоним(ы): sharply, harshly
adverb 1. with force; vigorously 2. in a severe manner; harshly 3. with difficulty; painfully 4. a. — used to emphasize a minimal amount Example: I hardly knew her Example: almost new — hardly a scratch on it b. — used to soften a negative Example: you can't hardly tell who anyone is — G. B. Shaw 5. certainly not Example: that news is hardly surprising Usage: Hardly in sense 5 is used sometimes with not for emphasis Example: just another day at the office? Not hardly. In sense 4b with a negative verb (as can't, wouldn't, didn't) it does not make a double negative but softens the negative. In “you can't hardly find a red one,” the sense is that you can find a red one, but only with difficulty; in “you can't find a red one,” the sense is that red ones are simply not available. Use of hardly with a negative verb is a speech form; it is most commonly heard in Southern and Midland speech areas. In other speech areas and in all discursive prose, hardly is normally used with a positive Example: you can hardly find a red one.