no sooner ... than(an idiomatic construction to emphasize that two events happened in quick succession, with the second event occurring immediately after the first. This construction often involves inversion, where the auxiliary verb ("had", "did") comes before the subject ("he", "she"), which is typical in more formal or literary contexts • No sooner did the movie start than the power went out. — Не успел начаться фильм, как отключили свет. • No sooner had she finished her meal than the phone rang. — Не успела она закончить есть, как зазвонил телефон.Alex_Odeychuk)
hardly had ... than(Hardly had the Count departed London than the owner of the hotel received a call from his banker that the Count's cheque had bounced. – Не успел граф отбыть из Лондона, как ...ART Vancouver); had hardly(+ past participle + before • He had hardly been in the house five minutes before the police arrived. – Не успел он пробыть в доме и пяти минут, как приехала полиция. • "The hall door had hardly slammed behind our visitor before Holmes had descended the stair." – Sir Arthur Conan DoyleART Vancouver)
no sooner than(No sooner had British troops landed than the British government announced they be leaving – Не успели британские войска высадиться, как британское правительство объявило об их уходе Баян)
