शायद ही (shaayad hii)
adverb
A fixed two-word combination meaning 'hardly ever' or 'rarely if ever' -- built from शायद (shaayad, 'perhaps') plus the emphatic particle ही (hii), which together push the sense of possibility down toward near-impossibility.
Sense
1
:
hardly ever, rarely
adverb Typically pairs with a following negative verb (होगा/होता है (hogaa/hotaa hai)) to express 'it will hardly happen' -- the negative sense comes from the construction as a whole, not from an explicit नहीं (nahiin).
Synonyms: मुश्किल से (mushkil se, with difficulty/rarely), बहुत कम (bahut kam, very rarely)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this a lot in complaints and gentle exaggeration -- वह शायद ही कभी फ़ोन करता है (vah shaayad hii kabhii fon kartaa hai, 'he hardly ever calls') is the classic tone of a mother or friend expressing mild reproach. Note the family link to शायद (shaayad) alone, which stays a neutral 'maybe' or 'perhaps' without the ही (hii).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often add नहीं (nahiin) after the verb expecting a double negative like English 'hardly...not', but शायद ही (shaayad hii) already carries the negative force on its own -- शायद ही कभी आता है (shaayad hii kabhii aataa hai, 'he hardly ever comes') needs no extra negative. 2) Confusing this with plain शायद (shaayad) 'maybe' -- adding ही (hii) flips the tone from open possibility to near-certainty that something won't happen.
Sample Sentences:
वह शायद ही कभी फ़ोन करता है।
He hardly ever calls.
(vah shaayad hii kabhii fon kartaa hai।)
मैं शायद ही कभी बाहर का खाना खाती हूँ।
I hardly ever eat outside food.
(main shaayad hii kabhii baahar kaa khaanaa khaatii hoon।)
वह शायद ही कभी समय पर आया हो।
He has hardly ever arrived on time.
(vah shaayad hii kabhii samay par aayaa ho।)
इतनी बारिश में लोग शायद ही घर से निकलते हैं।
In such heavy rain, people hardly ever step out of the house.
(itnii baarish men log shaayad hii ghar se nikalte hain।)
इस दफ़्तर में कोई शायद ही समय से पहले काम पूरा करता है।
In this office, hardly anyone finishes work before time.
(is daftar men koii shaayad hii samay se pahle kaam pooraa kartaa hai।)
पहले वह शायद ही कभी गुस्सा करता था।
Earlier, he hardly ever used to get angry.
(pahle vah shaayad hii kabhii gussaa kartaa thaa।)
ऐसा मौक़ा शायद ही दोबारा मिलेगा।
Such a chance will hardly ever come again.
(aisaa mauqaa shaayad hii dobaaraa milegaa।)
अगर वह ज़्यादा पढ़ता, तो शायद ही फेल होता।
If he had studied more, he would hardly ever have failed.
(agar vah zyaadaa padhtaa, to shaayad hii phel hotaa।)
बेटा, तू शायद ही कभी मेरी बात मानता है।
Son, you hardly ever listen to me.
(betaa, too shaayad hii kabhii merii baat maantaa hai।)
ऐसे विद्वान शायद ही कहीं और मिलें।
Scholars like this are hardly ever found elsewhere.
(aise vidvaan shaayad hii kahiin aur milen।)