Adverbs of frequency are words like always, sometimes and never . We use them to tell how often something happens.
Except for “hardly ever”, English adverbs of frequency consist of a single word. But how do you know which one to use each time? That depends on the level of regularity you want to convey.
Adverbs of Frequency and expressions List
| Frequency | Adverb of Frequency | Example Sentence |
| 100% | always | I always run in the mornings. |
| 90% | usually | I usually take the bus to work |
| 80% | normally / generally | I normally go to the gym. |
| 70% | often* / frequently | I often surf the internet. |
| 50% | sometimes | I sometimes forget my wife’s birthday. |
| 30% | occasionally | I occasionally eat junk food. |
| 10% | seldom | I seldom read the newspaper. |
| 5% | hardly ever / rarely | I hardly ever drink alcohol. |
| 0% | never | I never swim in the sea. |
We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about the frequency:
- every day
- once a month
- twice a year
- four times a day
- every other week
- daily
- monthly
I play tennis twice a week.
I play tennis once a week.
Every Monday I have a gym
