This study, which examines the expression of approximate negation by means of scarcely, rarely, barely, hardly and seldom (Huddleston and Pullum 2002: 815) and their translations into Spanish, sets out to identify the patterns of usage of these items by analysing their behaviour in co-text and to observe how these items are translated into Spanish, with special attention being paid to renderings of negative connotations that are based on assumed grammatical equivalence. The study will empirically demonstrate the usefulness and usability of the ACTRES Parallel Corpus (P-ACTRES). The experimentation sequence replicates Krzeszowski's contrastive model (1990), namely, selection, description, juxtaposition and contrast. Qualitative and quantitative analyses cover the meaning-form interface, co-text and frequency of usage. The mapping of cross-linguistic correspondences reveals the actual Spanish equivalents used to express the (very) elusive meanings these items convey, as well as possible differences in polarity and the scope of negation.