こんにちは皆さん！私はサクラです。For today's post, we will be talking about frequency adverbs. When talking to people or friends in Japan, sometimes they might ask you if you do a certain activity very often or not all the time. Without knowing how to answer properly, it can be a little troublesome. With that said, here are some useful words to explain how frequent you perform an activity.
よく means "often," and you would use this term to describe things you or someone else does more than "sometimes," but not as frequent as "usually." If you were to say, "I often come here," you would say 「よくここに行きます」(yoku koko ni ikimasu).
Watashi wa yoku shinbun o yomimasu
.I often read the newspaper.
たいてい would be "usually" in English. If you do an activity more than often, you would use たいてい. Using this term also means that the subject of the sentence does said verb on a regular basis.
Kare wa taitei ko-hi-me-ka o tsukaimasu.
He regularly uses the coffee machine.
Watashi wa taitei kyoukasho de benkyoushimasu.
I usually study with a textbook.
Jon san wa taitei yoji ni ie ni kaerimasu.
John usually returns home at four.
時々 means "sometimes." It is used when someone does something more than occasionally but not frequently.
Watashi wa tokidoki shinri nitsuite kakimasu.
I sometimes write about philosophy.
Hai, tokidoki aisukuri-mu o tabemasu.
Yes, sometimes I eat ice cream.
Ami san wa tokidoki co-hi o nomimasu.
Amy sometimes drinks coffee.
あまり relates to よく, but it is the polar opposite of it. The closest translation for this term would be "not very often." Compared to the other adverbs mentioned, you must make sure that the verb is in negative form. This is because you are saying the subject of the sentence is not doing said verb often.
Iie, amari shinbun o yomimasen.
No, I do not read the newspapers much.
Watashi wa amari yuubinkyoku ni ikimasen.
Not very often would I go to the post office.
Tarou san wa amari rokku o kikimasen.
Taro does not listen to rock music very often.
全然 is Japanese for "never" or "not at all." This is the adverb you would use if you or someone does not perform said verb at all. Of course, like あまり, the verb must be in negative form.
Watashi wa zenzen tabako o suimasen.
I never smoke tobacco/cigarette/etc.
Sono hito wa zenzen shukudai o shimasen.
That person never does homework.
I do not watch ballet at all.
いつも means "always" in Japanese. When someone says they always perform a certain verb, then they would use いつも. However, you must be very careful. If you were to say 「私はいつも読みます」(Watashi wa itsumo yomimasu) or "I am always reading," the listener might expect you to carry a book every single day.
Kare wa itsumo oosawagishimasu.
He always makes an uproar.
Kanojo wa itsumo mongu o iwareteimasu.
She always complaining (much to my annoyance).
Natsu no aida ni, Jon san wa itsumo mizu o nomimasu.
During the summer, John always drinks water.
毎日 literally means "everyday." It is a bit different from いつも because if someone does something everyday, it could mean that they do it once a day rather than all the time.
Mainichi, dekakeru mae ni ha wo migakimasu.
Everyday, I would brush my teeth before going out.
Mainichi kare wa naiteshimaimashita.
(To my regret) He cries everyday.
Mainichi sentaku o shimasu.
I do the laundry every day.
These adverbs can let the listener know when you perform certain activities. Additionally, they can also give you an idea of how frequent the person in the sentence does something. If you can remember when to use a negative or a positive verb for the adverb, using these adverbs will be a simple task.That’s it for today’s lesson! これが終わります！ありがとうございました！
Source(s) I have used for Additional Information:
Difference Between “Usually” and “Often”-www.differencebetween.net
Japanese lessons 10-Frequency adverbs in Japanese-js-language.com
Illustration was made by yours-truly
