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malapena

barely

adverb mah-lah-PEH-nah Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Degree

Also means

hardly

Usage Note

Malapena is almost always used in the fixed phrase a malapena ('barely, with great difficulty'). It is technically an adverbial noun (feminine, from mala + pena), but in practice it functions solely as an adverb within that phrase. The seed POS 'noun' is technically the historical form, but its current use is adverbial. Example: Riesco a malapena a sentirlo — 'I can barely hear him.'

Examples

"Riusciva a malapena a stare in piedi."

Natural Translation

He could barely stand up.

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