I hardly managed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "I hardly managed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express that you struggled to achieve something or that it was difficult to accomplish a task. Example: "After a long day at work, I hardly managed to finish my report before the deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

I love to cook but I hardly manage to now - there's barely time to blow my nose, let alone cook properly.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Unfortunately, I have hardly managed to work in science lately, as my institute here gives me much worry and much work.

Princeton University

"This year I've hardly managed to break into the team; it's such a good team and there's some great players above me.

The Guardian - Sport

It's still difficult to drink anything, and I can hardly manage to put on socks (I'm losing flexibility every day), but altogether, I feel surprisingly good.

Vice

Since then, the company seemed to have hardly managed a successful move.

The New York Times

But municipal affairs were hardly managed normally or restructured by the mayor.

The New York Times

Ahmed Shehzad hardly managed much better, shuffling across his stumps to Peter Siddle only to be bowled round his legs for three, leaving the nominal hosts seven for two.

The Guardian - Sport

This helps to explain why China, in the midst of the horrors of its Cultural Revolution when the surveys began, has hardly managed to improve on its early, rock-bottom ratings.

The Economist

This was the landscape that we hardly managed to glimpse before the sphere swiftly receded into the sky, and the more minute details were lost in a general impression of freshness and lushness.

The New Yorker

Rati's family lived in abject poverty and hardly managed to eat one meal a day.

Huffington Post

When their body felt exhausted, weak, dizzy and fatigued, they hardly managed anything but to keep their eyes open.

BMC Nursing

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "I hardly managed" to convey a sense of difficulty or near failure in achieving something. It's useful when you want to emphasize the effort or close call involved.

Common error

Avoid using "I hardly managed" when the task was relatively easy. Overusing it can diminish the impact and make you sound less competent.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "I hardly managed" functions as a statement conveying that the speaker achieved something, but only with considerable difficulty or by a narrow margin. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Academia

33%

Science

32%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "I hardly managed" is a grammatically correct way to express that you succeeded at something with difficulty or by a narrow margin. Ludwig AI validates its correctness, and the examples show its presence in diverse sources, including news, academic and scientific contexts. Alternatives like "I barely managed" or "I scarcely managed" can be used to convey a similar meaning. Remember to use the phrase when you want to emphasize the effort or close call involved in achieving something.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

I barely managed

Replaces "hardly" with "barely", emphasizing the narrow margin of success.

I scarcely managed

Substitutes "hardly" with "scarcely", suggesting a minimal effort leading to success.

I only just managed

Adds "only just" to highlight the last-minute or difficult nature of the achievement.

I with difficulty managed

Emphasizes the effort involved by explicitly stating "with difficulty".

I struggled to manage

Focuses on the struggle experienced in achieving the outcome.

I could barely cope

Shifts the focus to coping with a situation, implying difficulty in handling it.

It was a struggle to manage

Rephrases to emphasize the struggle as the main point.

I found it hard to manage

Highlights the personal experience of difficulty.

I only just succeeded

Focuses on the success but emphasizes how close it was to failure.

I almost failed to manage

Highlights the near failure aspect, making it more direct.

FAQs

How can I use "I hardly managed" in a sentence?

Use "I hardly managed" to express that you succeeded at something, but with great difficulty or by a narrow margin. For example: "After a sleepless night, "I hardly managed" to finish the project on time."

What are some alternatives to "I hardly managed"?

You can use alternatives such as "I barely managed", "I scarcely managed", or "I only just managed" to convey a similar meaning of succeeding with difficulty.

Is it correct to say "I hardly managed to not do something"?

While grammatically possible, it's often clearer and more direct to say "I managed not to do something". The double negative in "I hardly managed to not do something" can be confusing.

What's the difference between "I hardly managed" and "I easily managed"?

"I hardly managed" implies a struggle and a close call in succeeding, while "I easily managed" suggests that something was achieved without much effort. They are opposites in meaning.