Can "like" replace "almost"? In which conditions? How often is it used?

[EffingKenta]

Can "like" replace "almost"? In which conditions? How often is it used?

I've heard that in 16-17th century "like" used to mean "almost", would people see it awkward if I talk like this?

 

[Rover_KE]

Please give us some examples of such sentences.

I can’t think of any.

 

[emsr2d2]

Can "like" replace "almost"? In which conditions what contexts can it be used? How often is it used?

I've heard that in the 16th and 17th centuries, "like" used to mean "almost". Would people see consider it awkward if I talk used it like this?

Please note my corrections above.

It would have helped if you'd given us a sentence from the 16th/17th centuries as an example but I've done you a favour and found one for you:
"I like to died laughing" (17th century) meant "I almost died laughing".

It is considered obsolete now so I don't suggest you use it. However, please feel free to give us a complete sentence to consider, in which you are trying to replace "almost" with "like".

Please check the information in your member profile. Your post doesn't look like it was written by a native English speaker and your digital footprint does not place you in Great Britain (as you claim under "Current location").

 

[EffingKenta]

Thanks a lot for your answer, I will apply the changes later.

I can only think of "almost everyone" and "like everyone" at the moment.

And I'll ensure that everything I write is correct since I'm on a site for educational purposes.

 

[Tarheel]

It would have been better to have complete sentences to look at. In any case, there is no reason for me to believe that "almost everyone" and "like everyone" mean the same thing. (They don't.)

 

[emsr2d2]

@EffingKenta Are you using a VPN? Your digital footprint so far has not shown you as being in Norway.

 

[EffingKenta]

@EffingKenta Are you using a VPN? Your digital footprint so far has not shown you as being in Norway.

Yes I am. I need a vpn to connect to my company's Intranet.

 

[EffingKenta]

It would have been better to have complete sentences to look at. In any case, there is no reason for me to believe that "almost everyone" and "like everyone" mean the same thing. (They don't.)

"The way you determine rarity/desirability is fundamentally different than the way I, and ’like’ everyone else who replied to this post, do. "

Does this sentence seem frustrating or ambiguous to you?

 

[emsr2d2]

"The way you determine rarity/desirability is fundamentally different than from the way I, and ’like’ everyone else who replied to this post, do. "

Does this sentence seem frustrating or ambiguous to you?

The word "like" in that sentence is just a filler. It doesn't mean "almost". The use of "like" as a meaningless filler has been around for the last few decades.
Occasionally it's used to replace "said/thought". For example "I saw his face and I was like 'What the hell is wrong with you?'" or "If you go there, you'll be like 'Wow!'" It's common but still non-standard.

Remember the rule: different from and similar to. Don't use "different than". You'll hear it a lot from native speakers but that doesn't make it right!

 

[EffingKenta]

The word "like" in that sentence is just a filler. It doesn't mean "almost". The use of "like" as a meaningless filler has been around for the last few decades.
Occasionally it's used to replace "said/thought". For example "I saw his face and I was like 'What the hell is wrong with you?'" or "If you go there, you'll be like 'Wow!'" It's common but still non-standard.

Remember the rule: different from and similar to. Don't use "different than". You'll hear it a lot from native speakers but that doesn't make it right!

Thank you for your precise answer, I'm sincerely sorry for bothering you with this kind of retarded question... Thank you for your confirmation and time again.

 

[Tarheel]

"The way you determine rarity/desirability is fundamentally different than the way I, and ’like’ everyone else who replied to this post, do. "

Does this sentence seem frustrating or ambiguous to you?

One, "like" adds no meaning to that sentence (as previously mentioned). Two, no.

 

[EffingKenta]

One, "like" adds no meaning to that sentence (as previously mentioned). Two, no.

Same as I thought. I was confused when someone told me this "like" means "almost".
The original speaker asked me to learn some basic English because I couldn't tell the "like" he used was a modifier, which made me deeply doubt myself.
Thank you for your answer.