मुश्किल से (mushkil se)
adverb
An adverbial phrase built from मुश्किल (mushkil, 'difficult') plus से (se); means 'with difficulty' or 'hardly, barely,' covering both a literal sense (something done only through great effort) and an extended sense (something that just barely happened or almost didn't happen).
Sense
1
:
with great difficulty, only through struggle
adverb
Synonyms: बड़ी मुश्किल से (badii mushkil se, emphatic variant), कठिनाई से (kathinaaii se, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Picture someone hauling a heavy suitcase up a train platform staircase and gasping वह मुश्किल से ऊपर पहुँचा (vah mushkil se oopar pahunchaa, 'he barely managed to get up') -- that physical strain is the everyday flavor this phrase carries, even when used about non-physical struggles like exams or finances.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to use मुश्किल (mushkil) alone as an adverb, dropping से (se) -- the postposition is required to turn the adjective/noun into this adverbial sense. 2) Word order matters less than in English: मुश्किल से (mushkil se) usually sits right before the verb it modifies, not necessarily at the start of the sentence.
Sample Sentences:
वह मुश्किल से ऊपर पहुँचा।
He managed to get up there only with great difficulty.
(vah mushkil se oopar pahunchaa।)
मैं मुश्किल से यह भारी बैग उठा पाता हूँ।
I can barely lift this heavy bag, and only with a struggle.
(main mushkil se yah bhaarii baig uthaa paataa hoon।)
इस महीने घर का खर्चा मुश्किल से चल रहा है।
This month the household expenses are running only with great difficulty.
(is mahiine ghar kaa kharchaa mushkil se chal rahaa hai।)
अगर तबियत ठीक होती तो मुश्किल से भी सीढ़ियाँ नहीं चढ़नी पड़तीं।
If his health were fine, he wouldn't even have to climb the stairs with such difficulty.
(agar tabiyat thiik hotii to mushkil se bhii siidhiyaan nahiin chadhnii padtiin।)
परीक्षा में उसने मुश्किल से पास होने लायक अंक पाए।
In the exam he scraped together, with great struggle, just enough marks to pass.
(pariikshaa men usne mushkil se paas hone laayak ank paae।)
बीमारी के बाद वह मुश्किल से चल पाता है।
After the illness, he can walk only with great difficulty.
(biimaarii ke baad vah mushkil se chal paataa hai।)
कृपया धीरे बोलिए, मुझे आपकी बात मुश्किल से समझ में आ रही है।
Please speak slowly, I'm only understanding what you're saying with great difficulty.
(kripyaa dhiire bolie, mujhe aapkii baat mushkil se samajh men aa rahii hai।)
उस ज़माने में किसानों को मुश्किल से दो वक़्त की रोटी मिलती थी।
In those days, farmers got two square meals a day only with great struggle.
(us zamaane men kisaanon ko mushkil se do vaqt kii rotii miltii thii।)
गरीबी के दिनों में उसने मुश्किल से अपने बच्चों को पढ़ाया।
In the days of poverty, he managed to educate his children only through immense struggle.
(gariibii ke dinon men usne mushkil se apne bachchon ko padhaayaa।)
यह पहाड़ी रास्ता ऐसा है कि गाड़ी मुश्किल से चढ़ पाएगी।
This mountain road is such that the car will only barely manage to climb it, with great strain.
(yah pahaadii raastaa aisaa hai ki gaadii mushkil se chadh paaegii।)
टूटी टांग के साथ मुश्किल से खड़े होकर उसने भाषण दिया।
Standing up only with great difficulty on his broken leg, he gave the speech.
(tootii taang ke saath mushkil se khade hokar usne bhaashan diyaa।)
Sense
2
:
barely, just narrowly (an event that almost failed to happen)
adverb This sense modifies whether an event happened at all (a near miss), rather than describing effort expended -- compare 'she barely caught the train' versus 'she caught the train with difficulty.'
Synonyms: बाल-बाल (baal-baal, idiomatic, narrow escape sense only)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Used for close calls: मुश्किल से ट्रेन पकड़ी (mushkil se tren pakdii, 'barely caught the train') is the classic example -- every Delhi commuter racing across a platform as the doors buzz shut knows this feeling.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners conflate this with the 'with effort' sense; context (a time limit, a deadline, a near-failure) signals this narrower 'just barely' reading rather than physical/mental struggle.
Sample Sentences:
मुश्किल से ट्रेन पकड़ी।
I barely caught the train.
(mushkil se tren pakdii।)
बस मुश्किल से छूटने से बची।
The bus just narrowly avoided being missed.
(bas mushkil se chhootne se bachii।)
वह मुश्किल से गिरने से बचा।
He barely avoided falling.
(vah mushkil se girne se bachaa।)
अगर तुम एक मिनट और लेट होते, तो मुश्किल से फ्लाइट मिलती।
If you had been a minute later, you would have barely made the flight.
(agar tum ek minat aur let hote, to mushkil se phlaait miltii।)
मुश्किल से समय पर पहुँच पाया हूँ।
I've barely managed to arrive on time.
(mushkil se samay par pahunch paayaa hoon।)
गाड़ी मुश्किल से दुर्घटना से बच गई।
The car narrowly escaped an accident.
(gaadii mushkil se durghatnaa se bach gaii।)
देखना, आखिरी वाली बस मुश्किल से ही पकड़ पाओगे।
Watch, you'll only just barely catch the last bus.
(dekhnaa, aakhirii vaalii bas mushkil se hii pakad paaoge।)
क्या तुम मुश्किल से बच पाए?
Did you barely manage to escape?
(kyaa tum mushkil se bach paae?)
उम्मीद है कि हम मुश्किल से ही सही, मैच जीत जाएँ।
I hope we win the match, even if just barely.
(ummiid hai ki ham mushkil se hii sahii, maich jiit jaaen।)
टीम मुश्किल से हार से बच गई।
The team narrowly avoided defeat.
(tiim mushkil se haar se bach gaii।)