Я почти не слышу музыку в метро.

I can hardly hear the music in the metro.

Breakdown of Я почти не слышу музыку в метро.

• я: I
• в: in
• музыка: the music
• метро: the metro

Questions & Answers about Я почти не слышу музыку в метро.

Why is я included here? Could Russian just say Почти не слышу музыку в метро?

Yes. Russian often omits the subject pronoun when it is clear from the verb ending.

• слышу already means I hear / I am hearing
• so Почти не слышу музыку в метро is completely natural

Including я can make the sentence:

• a little more explicit
• slightly more emphatic
• useful for contrast, as in Я почти не слышу музыку, а он слышит

So я is not required, but it is not wrong at all.

What does почти не mean exactly?

почти не literally means almost not, but in natural English it is usually:

• hardly
• barely
• almost don’t

So Я почти не слышу музыку в метро means something like:

• I can barely hear music in the metro
• I hardly hear music in the metro

This is a very common Russian pattern:

• Я почти не сплю = I hardly sleep
• Он почти не ест мясо = He hardly eats meat

Why is it почти не слышу, not не почти слышу?