едва ли

Hardly Likely

Level 5Sounds Like edva li

Put едва ли in front of a positive statement to say you doubt it: Едва ли ще вали (It is unlikely to rain).

How It Works

1. Meaning. Едва ли means that something is very unlikely. It is close to надали and to English hardly, unlikely or I doubt that:

  • Едва ли ще успее. (He is hardly likely to succeed.)
  • Той едва ли знае истината. (I doubt he knows the truth.)

2. Any tense. The verb can be future, present, past or conditional: Едва ли ще дойде, Едва ли е вкъщи, Едва ли е чул (He can hardly have heard), Едва ли бих могъл (I could hardly). For the future it is used with ще (see the future with ще).

3. Keep the verb positive. The doubt is already in едва ли. Adding не reverses the meaning: Едва ли знае means He probably does not know, while Едва ли не знае means I doubt that he does not know. It can also be read as the phrase едва ли не (almost), so avoid it when you mean doubt.

4. Short answers. Едва ли can stand alone as a reply: — Ще има ли билети? — Едва ли. (Will there be tickets? Hardly.)

5. Do not mix it up with similar words.

  • Едва without ли means barely or only just: Едва стигнахме навреме (We barely made it in time).
  • Едва ли не is a fixed phrase meaning almost, practically: За него аз съм едва ли не престъпник (To him I am practically a criminal).

6. How strong is it? Може би leaves the question open, and май leans toward yes. Едва ли leans clearly toward no: the speaker expects it not to be true.

Examples (6)

  1. Едва ли ще успее да дойде навреме.

    He is hardly likely to make it on time.

  2. Той едва ли знае истината.

    He is unlikely to know the truth.

    The verb знае stays positive; the doubt comes from едва ли.

  3. — Ще вали ли днес? — Едва ли.

    Will it rain today? I doubt it.

    Едва ли can be a complete answer.

  4. Едва ли някой ще забележи разликата.

    It is unlikely that anyone will notice the difference.

  5. Едва ли е бил вкъщи по това време.

    He can hardly have been home at that time.

  6. Без помощ едва ли бих се справил.

    Without help I would hardly manage.

Common Mistakes

  • Using едва ли when you mean barely.

    Едва ли стигнахме навреме за влака.
    Едва стигнахме навреме за влака.

    To say something happened, but only just, use едва alone. Едва ли стигнахме says you doubt that you arrived on time at all.

  • Adding не to the verb after едва ли.

    Едва ли не знае за срещата.
    Едва ли знае за срещата.

    For the meaning "I doubt he knows about the meeting," keep the verb positive. With не the sentence means the opposite, and едва ли не is also a separate phrase meaning almost.

How It Connects

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едва лиLevel 5Hardly Likely

Learn This First

Едва ли combines едва and probability.

Words in This Pattern