I can hardly hear you VS I hardly hear you

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

I can hardly hear you. Can I just say “I hardly hear you”?

Cheerio

2

It is grammatical but doesn’t seem a likely thing to say. This pattern is used with some other verbs, however, such as “I hardly care”, “I hardly know him”, “I hardly understood a word”, etc.

3

Hi Dozy, thanks. By the way, can you confirm that “Sorry for the late” is wrong while “Sorry for being late” is an acceptable alternative?

4

Yes, that’s right. “late” is never a noun (except informally, especially in plural, as short for “late shift”, referring to working hours).

5

Thanks once again, Dozy.