1. only just; almost not
僅僅；勉強；幾乎不
He barely passed the exam with a score of 60%.
他勉強通過了考試，只得了60分。
We barely made it to the station before the train left.
我們勉強在火車開走前趕到了車站。
She could barely see the road through the heavy fog.
在濃霧中，她幾乎看不見路。
Barely Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
barely
adverb
快速理解
What does "Barely" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Barely"?
表示程度極低、勉強達到或幾乎不，常用於強調數量少、時間緊迫或可能性低。
- 1
僅僅、勉強
EN: He barely passed the exam.
翻譯: 他勉強通過了考試。
- 2
幾乎沒有、幾乎不
EN: She barely spoke during the meeting.
翻譯: 她在會議中幾乎沒說話。
- 3
剛好、才剛剛
EN: I had barely arrived when it started to rain.
翻譯: 我才剛到，天就開始下雨了。
- 4
幾乎不可能
EN: It's barely possible to finish on time.
翻譯: 幾乎不可能準時完成。
小提醒：注意 'barely' 本身已含否定意，句中勿再加 'not'，例如不說 'I don't barely know him'。
發音（How to Pronounce "Barely" in English）
How to pronounce "Barely" in English?"Barely" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Barely" from YouTube Videos
Michael Seibel - How to Plan an MVP
Y Combinator
“Weren't there all these like secret documents and things that, like, people would be able to see", And it was like you could barely recognize our faces, let alone documents that we had.”
(1 out of 35)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Barely"?How does "Barely" change by context?
2. in a simple and basic way; without any extra features or decoration
簡陋地；樸素地；僅具基本功能地
The room was barely furnished, with just a bed and a chair.
房間陳設簡陋，只有一張床和一把椅子。
They lived barely, surviving on the most basic necessities.
他們生活樸素，僅靠最基本的必需品維生。
3. used to emphasize how small or slight an amount or degree is
（用於強調數量或程度之微小）僅僅，只不過
She was barely eighteen when she wrote her first novel.
她寫出第一部小說時，才僅僅十八歲。
There's barely any milk left in the fridge.
冰箱裡的牛奶幾乎沒剩了。
He had barely finished speaking when the phone rang.
他話才剛說完，電話就響了。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Barely"?How to make natural sentences with "Barely"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| barely + verb | 幾乎不… | He barely slept last night. (他昨晚幾乎沒睡。) |
| barely + adjective | 幾乎不… | The room was barely visible in the dark. (房間在黑暗中幾乎看不見。) |
| barely + enough + noun | 勉強足夠的… | We have barely enough time to catch the train. (我們只有勉強足夠的時間趕上火車。) |
| can barely + verb | 幾乎無法… | I can barely hear you over the noise. (在噪音中我幾乎聽不到你說話。) |
| barely + when/before | 剛…就… | She had barely left the house when it started to rain. (她剛離開家，天就開始下雨了。) |
| barely + more/less than | 僅僅多於/少於… | The project took barely more than a week to complete. (這個專案僅僅花了一個多星期就完成了。) |
用法說明
How is "Barely" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Barely"?
barely + V 與 barely + to V 的區別
- barely + V 是最常見的用法，表示「幾乎不…」，直接描述一個勉強完成的動作或狀態。
- barely + to V 的結構在標準英語中非常罕見，通常被視為不正確。
- 在情態動詞或助動詞（如 could, would, can）之後，依然使用 barely + V，而不是 to V。
- 當 barely 用於句首表示強調時，句子需要倒裝，結構為 Barely + 助動詞 + 主詞 + V。 EN: She could barely hear the speaker over the noise. 翻譯: 在嘈雜聲中，她幾乎聽不到演講者的聲音。
EN:He barely managed to finish the race.
翻譯:他勉強完成了比賽。
總結建議
在絕大多數情況下，應使用「barely + 動詞原形」的結構，避免使用「barely + to V」。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Barely" and similar words?How to choose "Barely" vs alternatives?
barely vs hardly
兩者都表示「幾乎不」，但 'barely' 更強調勉強達到或剛好越過某個門檻，而 'hardly' 則更強調困難或幾乎不可能。
barely vs scarcely
'barely' 和 'scarcely' 常可互換，但 'scarcely' 語氣更正式，且更常與時間或數量上的「不足」相關。
barely vs only
'barely' 強調勉強達到、幾乎沒有的狀態，帶有負面或不足的意味；'only' 則中性指出數量少或限制，不一定有不足的含義。
口語用法
How is "Barely" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Barely"?
引述
在口語中，常以 "barely" 引述一個剛發生或剛被觀察到的情況，帶有「差一點就沒發生」的語氣。 EN: He barely made it to the meeting on time. 翻譯: 他勉強趕上準時開會。
EN:I barely recognized her with her new haircut.
翻譯:我差點認不出剪了新髮型的她。
語氣強調
與否定詞或帶有極限意味的詞連用，用來加強「幾乎沒有」或「剛剛達到」的語氣。 EN: There's barely any coffee left. 翻譯: 咖啡幾乎沒剩了。
EN:She's barely old enough to drive.
翻譯:她剛剛夠年齡開車而已。
停頓填充
在思考或描述時，用作短暫停頓後的填充詞，帶出一個令人意外或勉強的事實。 EN: The movie was... barely okay, to be honest. 翻譯: 那部電影...老實說，勉強還行。
EN:He said he'd help, but... barely lifted a finger.
翻譯:他說他會幫忙，但...幾乎沒動一根手指。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式商業寫作中，應避免將 "barely" 用於口語化的停頓填充或過於隨意的引述。建議使用更精確的詞彙，如 "scarcely"、"only just" 或重組句子結構以保持嚴謹性。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Barely"?What fixed phrases with "Barely" should I remember?
barely able to
barely able to [verb]
勉強能夠（做某事）
barely audible
barely audible
幾乎聽不見的
barely enough
barely enough [noun]
勉強足夠的
barely exist
barely exist
幾乎不存在；勉強維生
barely noticeable
barely noticeable
幾乎察覺不到的
barely scrape through
barely scrape through
勉強通過（考試、選拔等）
barely touched
barely touched [noun]
幾乎沒碰過的
barely visible
barely visible
幾乎看不見的
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Barely"?Which "Barely" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×He is a barely person.
✓He is a bare person.
"barely" 是副詞，不能修飾名詞 "person"。要形容某人赤裸或缺乏某物時，應使用形容詞 "bare"。
×I can't barely hear you.
✓I can barely hear you.
"barely" 本身已含有否定意義（幾乎不），不應與否定助動詞 "can't" 連用，否則會造成雙重否定，意思變成肯定（我能聽見你）。
×He barely passed the exam, didn't he?
✓He barely passed the exam, did he?
在反意疑問句中，若主要子句的動詞含有否定意義（如 barely, hardly, seldom），附加問句應使用肯定形式 "did he?"，而非否定形式 "didn't he?"。
×I barely ever go to the cinema. (想表達頻率極低)
✓I hardly ever go to the cinema.
雖然 "barely" 和 "hardly" 在表示 "幾乎不" 時常可互換，但在 "hardly ever"（幾乎從不）這個固定搭配中，通常使用 "hardly" 而非 "barely" 來強調極低的頻率。
×Barely he had arrived when it started to rain.
✓Barely had he arrived when it started to rain.
當 "barely" 置於句首表示強調時，其後的主詞和助動詞必須倒裝（如 had he）。這是正式的書面語用法。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Barely"?What are tense/participle forms of "Barely"?