Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking A2 - Lesson 5: Adverbs of Frequency (always, often, sometimes, never)

Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking A2 - Lesson 5

Adverbs of Frequency (always, often, sometimes, never)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use adverbs of frequency to talk about how often you do things, and place them correctly in a sentence.

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How Often Do You Do Things?

When we talk about our habits and routines, we use special words to say how often we do them. These are called adverbs of frequency¹. Think of it like a scale from 100% of the time to 0% of the time.

100% - always²: I always brush my teeth in the morning.

80% - usually³: I usually have rice for breakfast.

60% - often⁴: I often drink coffee in the afternoon.

40% - sometimes⁵: I sometimes watch a movie on the weekend.

0% - never⁶: I never work on Sunday.

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Key Vocabulary

1. Adverb of Frequency | ពាក្យ​ប្រាប់​ពី​ភាព​ញឹកញាប់ | A word that tells how often an action happens. ↩
2. always | តែងតែ | Happens 100% of the time. ↩
3. usually | ជា​ធម្មតា | Happens about 80-90% of the time. ↩
4. often | ញឹកញាប់ | Happens about 60-70% of the time. ↩
5. sometimes | ពេលខ្លះ | Happens about 30-50% of the time. ↩
6. never | មិនដែល | Happens 0% of the time. ↩

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record_voice_over Pronunciation Focus: "Often" & Word Stress

One common pronunciation mistake is with the word "often".

• The letter 't' is silent. Do not pronounce it.
• Correct pronunciation: "OF-fen"
• Incorrect pronunciation: "OF-ten"

Also, notice the stress for these words is on the first syllable: AL-ways, U-su-al-ly, OF-fen, SOME-times, NEV-er.

lightbulb Grammar: Where to Put the Adverb

The position of the adverb in the sentence is very important. There are two main rules.

Rule 1: With normal verbs, the adverb goes BEFORE the verb.

Formula: Subject + Adverb + Main Verb

• I always remember my teacher's name. (NOT I remember always)
• He never eats breakfast. (NOT He eats never)

Rule 2: With the verb "to be" (am, is, are), the adverb goes AFTER the verb.

Formula: Subject + "be" verb + Adverb

• You are never late. (NOT You never are late)
• She is sometimes tired in the morning. (NOT She sometimes is tired)

sports_esports Practice Your Vocabulary

Activity 1: Correct or Incorrect?

Read the sentences. Is the adverb in the correct position?

1. I drink sometimes coffee. (Incorrect. It should be "I sometimes drink...")
2. He is always friendly. (Correct.)
3. They watch often TV. (Incorrect. It should be "They often watch...")
4. She never is sad. (Incorrect. It should be "She is never sad.")

Activity 2: Rewrite the Sentence

Put the adverb (in parentheses) into the correct place in the sentence.

• I go to the market on Saturday. (usually) -> I usually go to the market on Saturday.
• The traffic in Siem Reap is bad in the evening. (often) -> The traffic in Siem Reap is often bad in the evening.

task Your Vocabulary Mission

This week in Siem Reap, your mission is to describe your habits.

Write four true sentences about yourself using four different adverbs of frequency. Two sentences must use a normal verb, and two sentences must use the verb "to be".

Example: "I usually ride my moto to school. I am sometimes late!"