Video lesson + interactive exercises
Siempre (always), a menudo (often), a veces (sometimes), de vez en cuando (every now and then), nunca (never)! Do they sound familiar? They are all adverbs or adverbial phrases of frequency. In this blog entry, you’ll learn to express with these five adverbs and adverbial phrases the frequency with which you do something or something occurs.
This explanation is helpful for all levels, but it is probably most helpful for Spanish beginner’s levels from A1 to B1.
If you would like to watch the video lesson, you can find it at the end of this article. But first things first:
What are adverbs of frequency?
Well, first we have to clarify what frequency means. Frequency is the repetition, more or less often, of an action, i.e. how often it repeats in time. And to express that, we can use these five adverbs or adverbial phrases you can see in the following schematic and which are ordered from more often to less often.
As you can see, their frequency ranges from 100% to 0%.
These adverbs and adverbial phrases answer questions like: ¿Con qué frecuencia…? (How frequently…?)
Example: ¿Con qué frecuencia haces deporte? (How frequently do you practice sports?)
or: ¿Haces mucho…? ((Do you … a lot…?)
Example: ¿Haces mucho deporte? (Do you work out a lot?)
Some of these words, like “siempre”, are adverbs and they consist of a single word. However, other words form adverbial phrases, like “de vez en cuando” or “a menudo”, and they are formed by more than one word.
Both, adverbs and adverbial phrases are invariable, i.e. they are always written the same, and don’t have for example a plural or any other kind of change.
Where to place the adverbs and adverbial phrases in a sentence?
The adverbs and adverbial phrases always go with the verb, which means that they affect the verb. This implies that they indicate the frequency of an action we carry out and which is described by this verb. It’s not the same:
- Salgo a correr por las mañanas. (I go running in the mornings.)
- Siempre salgo a correr por las mañanas, (I always go running in the mornings.), or
- Nunca salgo a correr por las mañanas. (I never go running in the mornings.).
And where should I place them? We can place them before or after the verb, at the end of the sentence or they can also stand alone.
Let’s have a look at these five adverbs and adverbial phrases one by one with examples.
The adverb “siempre” (100 %)
This adverb is used to indicate an action we carry out continuously.
Ana, ¿cuándo sales a correr? Siempre salgo por las mañanas, bien temprano. (Ana, when do you go running? I always go running early in the morning.)
By using “siempre” we indicate that we only go running in the morning. As you can see, “siempre” stands before the verb.
The adverbial phrase “a menudo” (70-85 %)
“A menudo” is an adverbial phrase that indicates that an action is not carried out always, but with great regularity.
Ana, ¿sigues saliendo a correr todos los días? No, por el trabajo ya no puedo todos, pero sigo saliendo a menudo. (Ana, do you still go running every day? No, because of work I can’t go every day, but I do regularly.)
By using “a menudo” we indicate that we go running regularly. As you can see, “a menudo” stands after the verb.
The adverbial phrase “a veces” (50 %)
“A veces” is an adverbial phrase that indicates that an action is not carried out frequently.
Ana, ¿sigues saliendo a correr? A veces. Desde que nació mi hijo ya no tengo tanto tiempo por las tardes. (Ana, do you still go running? Sometimes. Since the birth of my son I don’t have anymore lots of time in the afternoon.)
By using “a veces” we indicate that we go running, but only occasionally. As you can see, “a veces” stands alone. It’s the answer to the question. Afterwards follows the clarification.
The adverbial phrase “de vez en cuando” (35 %)
“De vez en cuando” is an adverbial phrase that indicates that we carry out an action only every now and then, or sporadical.
Ana, ¿sigues saliendo a correr a diario? No, solo salgo de vez en cuando si tengo tiempo durante el fin de semana. (Ana, do you still go running every day? No, I only do every now and then, when I have time during the weekend.)
By using “de vez en cuando” we indicate that we go running every so often, but that we don’t undertake this activity regularly.
The adverb “nunca” (0 %)
“Nunca” is an adverb that indicates that we don’t carry out an action. Watch out! It is also an adverb of negation, in which case it goes with “no”: no … nunca.
Ana, ¿sales a correr por las mañanas? Nunca, solo salgo por las tardes después del trabajo. (Ana do you go running in the mornings? Never, I only go running in the afternoons, after work.)
By using “nunca” we indicate that we only go running in the afternoons, but not in the mornings.
These are all the adverbs and adverbial phrases of frequency I wanted you to get an understanding of in this blog entry. Below, you can find the grammar video in Spanish with examples. Watch it, and if you have problems understanding it, just activate the subtitles in Spanish, English or German. In addition, I’ll leave two exercises for you to practice what you’ve learned today.