transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈhärd-lē ]
adverb
Date: before 12th century
1. : with force : vigorously
2. : in a severe manner : harshly
3. : with difficulty : painfully
4.
a. — used to emphasize a minimal amount
I hardly knew her
almost new — hardly a scratch on it
b. — used to soften a negative
you can't hardly tell who anyone is — G. B. Shaw
5. : certainly not
that news is hardly surprising
Usage:
Hardly in sense 5 is used sometimes with not for emphasis
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
you can hardly find a red one