à peine and multiple meanings

Rebecca L.C1Kwiziq community member

à peine and multiple meanings

In my readings of french, I come across this expression frequently, but it seems to have several different meanings. I would appreciate a lesson on the many different meanings for "à peine".

Thanks!

This question relates to:French lesson "Ne … guère = Hardly ever (French Negations)"

Asked 4 years ago

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CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Rebecca,

They are both used quite often and yet it can be difficult to see the different between both.

‘ne … guère’ is used in a more formal context than ‘à peine’. As mentioned in the lesson, it is rarely used nowadays.

Je peux à peine bouger = I can barely move (I can move but with difficulty)

Je ne peux guère bouger = I can hardly move (it is almost impossible to move)

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée!

Like14 years ago

Rebecca L. asked: