Almost comes immediately before the word it modifies: ‘He was working in Hungary for almost ten years.’ 3
Outside Japan, almost nobody speaks Japanese .
Outside Japan, hardly anybody speaks Japanese. Instead of saying almost no/nobody/never etc , it is more usual to say hardly any/anybody/ever etc : ‘It was so early that there was hardly any traffic.’ ‘I hardly ever go to the cinema nowadays.’ 4
She almost couldn’t breathe.
She could hardly breathe. Almost is used with a negative verb when something does actually happen although, at the time, there is a strong possibility that it will not happen: ‘I was feeling so tired that I almost didn’t come.’ ‘The traffic was so heavy that she almost didn’t get here in time.’ When you mean ‘only a little’ or ‘only with great difficulty’, use hardly : ‘We hardly know each other.’ ‘She was so tired that she could hardly keep her eyes open.’ ‘I can hardly hear myself think.’ alone 1
I was very alone at first but then I made some friends.
I was very lonely at first but then I made some friends. alone = without other people around you: ‘I’ve thought about getting married, but I prefer living alone.’ lonely = sad because you are alone and feel that nobody loves you or cares about you: ‘I didn’t
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know anyone in Boston and felt very lonely.’ ‘Sarah hated the long lonely days in the empty house.’ 2
Children learn a lot by doing things alone.
