| If you mean... | Say... | Not... | |---------------------------|---------------------|-----------------------| | Almost not / barely | | ~~can’t hardly~~ | | Unable to | can’t | (fine on its own) |
rephrasing a specific sentence to make it sound more professional? AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses Copy Creating a public link... You can now share this thread with others Good response Bad response 11 sites Can Hardly Wait or Can't Hardly Wait? - Ellii Let's take a closer look! * Short Answer. I can hardly wait. Correct. I can't hardly wait. Incorrect (but see “Long Answer” below) Ellii Can Hardly Wait or Can't Hardly Wait? - Ellii Short Answer. I can hardly wait. ... I can't hardly wait. ... Hardly is an adverb that means barely, scarcely, or almost not. I ca... Ellii I Can Hardly Stand It | Everything Language and Grammar 7 Mar 2019 — is it can hardly or can't hardly
Have a grammar question you’d like cleared up? Drop it in the comments below. | If you mean
We’ve all been there. You’re typing a quick message or speaking casually, and a phrase comes out that makes you pause: “I can’t hardly wait.” It sounds fine in conversation. But then you look at it. Something feels... off. - Ellii Let's take a closer look
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"Can't hardly," on the other hand, is considered nonstandard English. It combines "can't," which is a contraction of "cannot," with "hardly," which indicates a negative aspect. Logically, saying "can't hardly" might seem like it could mean the same as "can hardly" because both have a negative component. However, in proper English, using "can't hardly" is seen as redundant or incorrect because "can't" (cannot) and "hardly" both express negation.