Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner1]

Hello,

Please help me check if 'hardly' and 'barely' are interchangeable in the following sentences.

1."The basement is so stuffy that I can barely/hardly breathe."

2."There is hardly/barely anything he doesn't know."

Many thanks.

[CP]

Yes, both can be used there. You can also use "scarcely" to mean the same thing.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[learner1]

Hello CP,

Thank you very much.