hardly / seldom / rarely
hardly / seldom / rarely means “Hardly, seldom and rarely are near-negative adverbs meaning 'almost not' or 'not often'”. These adverbs already carry a negative meaning, so the verb stays positive: I hardly know him (= I almost don't). Formation: hardly · seldom · rarely + verb (already negative)
Hardly, seldom and rarely are near-negative adverbs meaning 'almost not' or 'not often'
B2Formation
hardly · seldom · rarely + verb (already negative)
Explanation
These adverbs already carry a negative meaning, so the verb stays positive: I hardly know him (= I almost don't). Hardly means 'almost not'; seldom and rarely mean 'not often'. Because they are negative in themselves, you don't add another not. They usually go before the main verb or after an auxiliary: She rarely eats meat; I have hardly slept.
Examples
Note
When one of these words starts a sentence, the subject and auxiliary swap places (inversion): Seldom have I seen such a mess; Hardly did she speak. Also keep hardly (= almost not) apart from hard (= with effort): He works hard, but he hardly works.
FAQ
hardly / seldom / rarely — what does it mean and how is it used?
Hardly, seldom and rarely are near-negative adverbs meaning 'almost not' or 'not often'. These adverbs already carry a negative meaning, so the verb stays positive: I hardly know him (= I almost don't). Hardly means 'almost not'; seldom and rarely mean 'not often'. Because they are negative in themselves, you don't add another not. They usually go before the main verb or after an auxiliary: She rarely eats meat; I have hardly slept.
hardly / seldom / rarely — how do you form it?
hardly · seldom · rarely + verb (already negative)
hardly / seldom / rarely — any usage notes?
When one of these words starts a sentence, the subject and auxiliary swap places (inversion): Seldom have I seen such a mess; Hardly did she speak. Also keep hardly (= almost not) apart from hard (= with effort): He works hard, but he hardly works.