To make sure

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

The following words: чуть не, почти, едва, еле, лишь (только или просто?)

Am I correct in grouping чуть не and почти together? In a sense of it "almost" happened, yes?

And едва and еле mean something along the lines of hardly, barely, rarely? Apart from using едва ли, is there any other places where the two are not interchangeable?

As for лишь, is that like только or просто when talking about "just"? Like, I just don't get it - Это просто/лишь не доходит. Or, There's just one left - Только/Лишь одно осталось?

Comments

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

чуть не, почти, едва не are all the same

Едва ли (not еле ли) - hardly, unlikely ("smb'll hardly do smth"; don't confuse with "smb hardly did smth" - it's just едва/еле - and "hardly smb did smth as..." - it's also едва/еле, or, more common, лишь только/как только).
Едва не+verb (not еле не) - almost
Еле may be interchanged with едва everywhere - at least I can't think of examples.

I just don't get it - Я просто не могу понять (not лишь). You may only say, for example Я могу лишь понять smth (а прочего не могу). Лишь: just, only, merely. Только and лишь are interchangeable everywhere.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

"hardly smb did smth as..." - it's also едва/еле, or, more common, лишь только/как только
sorry, a mistake; еле isn't used here.

[malim-praedari.livejournal.com]

Только and лишь are interchangeable everywhere.

Not true. For example: "Я вздремну? - Вздремни. Только не забудь, что у нас в семь будут гости". ("Shall I take a nap? - Go ahead. Just don't forget that we're expecting guests at seven.") You can't substitute "лишь" here without sounding horribly stilted.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Лишь не забудь... Heh)) In general can appear somewhere, but stylistically unacceptable. Yes thank you, I just couldn't think of example at a time)

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Yes, and if you want to know the answer for q#3 in your journal, it's both a and b.