Frequency
How often does it happen?
Meaning
Frequency tells us how many times or how regularly something happens. It can describe a single occasion, a habit, or something that rarely happens. Languages use words, phrases, or special verb forms for this, but many have no special verb form for repetition. Unlike When and how long, Frequency asks how often, not when or for how long.
How to spot it
Look for words or forms that answer how often or how many times something happens.
In your native language
English uses frequency words such as often and usually and phrases such as twice a week. Often and usually normally go before the verb that names the action or state, but after be or the first auxiliary verb, a helper such as have or will. Longer frequency phrases often come at the end of the sentence.
I often take the bus to work.
Often comes before the verb take.
Mia is usually home by six.
Usually comes after is, a form of be.
We play tennis twice a week.
This phrase gives the number of occasions each week.
In your learning language
Spanish expresses frequency with words such as siempre, a menudo, and nunca, and phrases such as dos veces por semana. Cada normally goes with a singular noun, while todos los goes with a plural noun. Soler plus an infinitive, the dictionary form of a verb, describes what someone usually does.
Cada sábado compro fruta en el mercado.
Every Saturday I buy fruit at the market.
Cada is followed by singular sábado.
Voy a natación dos veces por semana.
I go swimming twice a week.
Suelo pasar por la panadería al volver a casa.
I usually stop by the bakery on my way home.
Suelo is the conjugated verb; pasar stays in the infinitive.
Learners whose language uses singular nouns after words meaning every or all may mix cada día with todos los días. Learners whose language expresses usually only with an adverb may conjugate the verb after soler instead of using an infinitive.