Adverbs of frequency express the frequency with which something happens. They can usually be used when answering questions that start with How often…?
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
| How often do you work out? | I always work out |
| How often do you call your friends? | I seldom call my friends |
| How often do you study English? | I often study English |
| How often do you eat vegetables? | I occasionally eat vegetables |
| How often do you walk your dog? | I usually walk my dog |
Adverbs of frequency
| FREQUENCY | ADVERB | EXAMPLE SENTENCE |
| 100% | always | I always go to work by car |
| 90% | usually | He usually comes to class |
| 80% | generally/normally | You normally help people |
| 70% | frequently/often | We often work out |
| 50% | sometimes | They sometimes go to the movies |
| 30% | occasionally | She occasionally misses her classes |
| 10% | seldom | I seldom visit them |
| 5% | hardly ever/rarely | He hardly ever buys his friends gifts |
| 0% | never | You never call me |
The position of adverbs of frequency in sentences
Adverbs of frequency can be placed in two different places in sentences, either before or after the verb.
| VERB | POSITION | EXAMPLE SENTENCE |
| Main verb (except be) | before the verb | He usually walks his dog in the evenings |
| Verb be | after the verb | I am always tired at the end of the day |
However, if besides the main verb there is also an auxiliary verb in the sentence, we place the adverbs of frequency between them. This happens with both be and other verbs.
| SUBJECT | AUXILIARY VERB | ADVERB | MAIN VERB | COMPLEMENT |
| I | will | never | swim | in that river |
| They | might | occasionally | visit | us from now on |
| She | would | often | receive | a compliment |
| We | can | always | play | with them |
| You | could | rarely | behave | well |
Emphasizing these words
You can use some adverbs of frequency at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. This position gives emphasis to these words (makes them stronger). Some adverbs that usually appear in these positions are frequently, normally, occasionally, often, sometimes, usually, etc. Adverbs that don’t usually appear in these positions are always, hardly ever, never, rarely, seldom, etc.
| Usually, I read the newspaper |
| I watch movies, occasionally |
| Often, I go to the park to run 5 km |
| I like to eat salad, sometimes |
| Frequently, I sleep at least 7 hours |
Other expressions to express how often you do something
There are other expressions that you can use to express how often you do something. They give you a more definite idea of the frequency of the activity.
| EXPRESSION | EXAMPLE SENTENCE |
| every day/week/month/year | I go jogging every day |
| once a day/week/month/year | I clean my house once a week |
| twice a day/week/month/year | I travel abroad twice a year |
| three times a day/week/month/year | I visit the dentist three times a year |
| daily/monthly/weekly | I get paid monthly |
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