[General] hardly/barely

[Etern1ty]

Hello everyone
Could you tell me, what's the difference betweetn hardly/barely?
For example:
I could hardly hear it
I could barely hear it

Thanks

 

[bhaisahab]

Hello everyone
Could you tell me, what's the difference betweetn hardly/barely?
For example:
I could hardly hear it
I could barely hear it

Thanks

In your example they mean the same, but there are situations where they are not interchangeable.
Have a look at these links:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=5982&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=35819&dict=CALD&topic=yes-no-and-not

 

[Kondorosi]

This is how I see it:
I could hardly hear it = with difficulty
I could barely hear it = only just