Adverbs of frequency

We use these adverbs to say how often an action happens.

These adverbs are:

always = 100%

usually

often

sometimes = 50%

occasionally

rarely

hardly ever

never = 0%

Examples:

I always go to a pub on Friday after work.

You usually leave house at 7am on weekdays.

He often calls his parents.

She sometimes goes to the cinema.

We occasionally go to the theatre.

We rarely go on holidays in winter.

They hardly ever drive to work.

I never go to work by train.

Negative:

I don’t always go shopping on Friday. (I sometimes go on Saturday)

You don’t usually buy muesli. (but today you will buy some)

He doesn’t often call my father. Or: He doesn’t call his father very often.

We don’t normally use ‚not‘ with: occasionally, rarely, hardly ever. They have a negative meaning already.

Questions:

We use ‚How often do/does……………..?‘ to find out the frequency of the action.

We use ‚Do you ever….? when we don’t know IF the action happens at all.

Do you ever go to the gym? No, never.

We can also ask:

Do you always go there?

Does he sometimes drink beer?

Does she usually go shopping on Monday?