On 'hardly' and 'hardly ever'

Question

I know that the adverbs hardly and hardly ever differ in meaning. Are my interpretations of the following sentences using these adverbs correct?• I hardly get in touch with my girlfriend. (My interpretation: I find it hard to communicate with my girlfriend.)• I hardly ever get in touch with my girlfriend. (My interpretation: I never communicate with my girlfriend.)

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Rommel• I hardly get in touch with my girlfriend. (My interpretation: I find it hard to communicate with my girlfriend.)

You may as well add 'ever' here. It doesn't make a lot of sense without it. 'hardly' is like 'almost not'. It's hard to find an interpretation of the sentence as written, and your interpretation is not correct.

Rommel• I hardly ever get in touch with my girlfriend. (My interpretation: I never communicate with my girlfriend.)

Not exactly. I almost never communicate with my girlfriend.

CJ

GPY · Answer

"get in touch with" means to contact someone whom you haven't seen for a while, or whom you see only infrequently, usually by writing to them or telephoning. This would not normally be the case with your "girlfriend".

Rommel · Answer

CalifJimIt's hard to find an interpretation of the sentence as written, and your interpretation is not correct.

Ah, OK, CJ.

You know, sometimes I hear natives say could hardly (as in We could hardly get in touch with him.) Could the auxiliary verb can be used instead of could?

CalifJimNot exactly.

Now I see. So hardly ever means almost never.

CalifJim · Answer

Rommelsometimes I hear natives say could hardly (as in We could hardly get in touch with him.) Could the auxiliary verb can be used instead of could?

can is the present; could is the past.

We are sitting in the back row, so we can hardly see the stage. (almost can't see the stage) (It is almost impossible to see the stage.)
We were sitting in the back row, so we could hardly see the stage. (almost could not see the stage) (It was almost impossible to see the stage.)
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Without context, We could hardly get in touch with him does not seem to me to fit the pattern shown above. There must be more to the story if this is exactly what you heard.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

RommelSo hardly ever means almost never.

Exactly, because 'hardly' means 'almost not' in one form or another.

'hardly ever' ~ 'almost not ever'
'not ever' ~ 'never'
'almost not ever' ~ 'almost never'

CJ

On 'hardly' and 'hardly ever'

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