November 11, 2020 by Ashley Reid Spanish Grammar 0 comments

How to Say ‘Sometimes’ in Spanish and Use Adverbs of Frequency

Let’s learn all about how to say “sometimes” in Spanish!

I sometimes choose to study in the library. I hardly ever forget what day it is.

The words in italics are called adverbs of frequency and they’re crucial to explaining how often something occurs.

One of the most common words in this group of adverbs is “sometimes.” It’s the perfect middle ground between “always” and “never.” Since it’s so important, we need to learn how to use it correctly in Spanish!

Adverbs of Frequency

Unlike an adjective (which describes a noun), an adverb describes multiple parts of speech. But in reference to adverbs of frequency, they modify verbs by describing how often the action takes place.

Let’s look at the difference in the meaning of a sentence with and without an adverb of frequency.

I sometimes eat meat.
I eat meat.

Without the adverb of frequency, the sentence would mean that the person regularly or always eats meat. The addition of “sometimes” clarifies that it’s not a frequent occurrence. Adverbs of frequency provide more meaning to the sentence and add detail about how often things happen.

Adverbs of Frequency in Spanish

In Spanish, adverbs of frequency are quite similar. Their usage, purpose, and sentence placement are comparable to English. Here are some examples:

I never go to the beach.
Nunca voy a la playa.

We often do our homework together.
A menudo hacemos la tarea juntos.

As you can see in these sentences, the placement of the adverb of frequency is almost identical in English and Spanish.

Most Common Ways to Say “Sometimes” in Spanish

Expressing “sometimes” in Spanish allows you to cover the gray area between “never” and “always.” Knowing this word will empower your conversations and give you access to a quick answer to many frequency-related questions.

1. A veces

The most common way to say “sometimes” in Spanish is a veces. This literally means “at times.” Here are some example sentences for you to practice using “sometimes” in Spanish.

Take Note! Similar to English, the placement of any adverb of frequency in Spanish can be at the beginning, middle or end of a sentence.

Pues, a veces viajamos a México.
Well, sometimes we travel to Mexico.

¿Sabes que a veces me gusta dormir temprano?
Did you know that sometimes I like to go to bed early?

A veces me siento muy solo.
Sometimes I feel very lonely.

El maestro nos regaña a veces.
The teacher scolds us sometimes.

A veces hablamos por teléfono.
Sometimes we talk on the phone.

Nosotros a veces hablamos por teléfono.
We sometimes talk on the phone.

Hablamos por teléfono a veces.
We talk on the phone sometimes.

Aunque nos escribimos cada día, solo a veces hablamos por teléfono.
Even though we write to each other every day, we only sometimes talk on the phone.

2. Algunas veces

Another common way to say “sometimes” in Spanish is algunas veces, which translates to “some times.” The connotation of algunas veces means something that happened a few times and it shows that an activity happens slightly less than a veces. While a minimal difference does exist, these two phrases are often interchangeable.

Algunas veces quiero dejar mi trabajo y empezar algo propio.
Sometimes I want to leave my job and start something on my own.

Algunas veces sueño con viajar por todo el mundo.
Sometimes I dream of traveling the world.

Nos cuesta encontrar a un nuevo empleado algunas veces.
It’s hard to find a new employee sometimes.

Algunas veces tengo tantas ganas de conseguirme un perro.
Sometimes I have a great desire to get myself a dog.

Algunas veces pienso en ella, aunque han sido 10 años desde su muerte.
I sometimes think about her even though it’s been ten years since her death.

Varying Degrees to Say “Sometimes” in Spanish

While the word “sometimes” lives on a spectrum of frequency—sitting between “always” and “never”—it accompanies other words that are similar, but more specific in frequency. Let’s see what they are!

3. Ocasionalmente – occasionally

Just like occasionally ends in the -ly ending typical of many adverbs, its Spanish counterpart also uses the regular adverb ending: -mente.

Ocasionalmente me gusta salir a caminar de noche.
Occasionally, I like to take walks at night.

Vamos al bosque a subir las montañas ocasionalmente.
We go to the forest to hike occasionally.

Lastimosamente, eso ocurre ocasionalmente aquí.
Unfortunately, that occurs here occasionally.

Ella me busca ocasionalmente.
She looks for me occasionally.

Ocasionalmente tendrás que viajar con este trabajo.
Occasionally, you’ll have to travel for this job.

4. De vez en cuando – from time to time

De vez en cuando me dan ganas de comer ceviche.
From time to time, I have a craving for ceviche.

Ellos requieren la prueba de vez en cuando.
They require the test from time to time.

Usualmente es seria, pero de vez en cuando es muy amigable.
She is usually serious, but from time to time she is very nice.

Nos vemos de vez en cuando en la calle.
We see each other from time to time on the street.

Las reuniones no son regulares. Solo nos reunimos de vez en cuando.
The meetings are not regular. We only meet from time to time.

5. Pocas veces – a few times, not many times, rarely

Lo intenté unas pocas veces pero nunca gané.
I tried it a few times, but never won.

Eso pasa muy pocas veces aquí.
That rarely happens here.

6. Casi nunca – hardly ever, almost never

Gracias por venir. Los padres casi nunca vienen a este evento.
Thank you for coming. Parents hardly ever come to this event.

7. Raramente – rarely

La cantidad de cartas raramente excede 100 al día.
The quantity of letters rarely exceeds 100 a day.

8. Rara vez, raras veces – rarely, seldom

Los estudiantes rara vez entregan la tarea a tiempo.
The students seldom turn their homework in on time.

La enfermedad raras veces afecta a los bebés.
The disease rarely affects babies.

9. Anualmente – annually

Recibimos una carta de nuestra amiga anualmente.
We receive a card from our friend yearly.

Tienes que llevar el carro al mecánico anualmente.
You need to take the car to the mechanic annually.

10. Mensualmente, al mes – monthly

Mensualmente enviamos el reporte.
We send the report monthly.

Voy al doctor dos veces al mes.
I go to the doctor twice monthly.

Practice Using “Sometimes” in Spanish

Put your knowledge to the test! Take advantage of these handy exercises to reinforce what you’ve learned about adverbs of frequency in Spanish. Check your responses with the answer key at the end of the blog post. ¡Buena suerte!

Write one (or more) ways to say each adverb in Spanish.
1. Sometimes
2. Rarely
3. From time to time
4. Monthly
5. Annually
6. Occasionally
Order the adverbs from most frequent to least frequent.
A veces, raramente, algunas veces, casi nunca, de vez en cuando

Fill in the blank with the correct Spanish adverb of frequency.
1. Vamos a Canadá ____________. (annually)
2. ____________ pienso que no me entiendes. (sometimes)
3. ____________ nos reunimos con nuestra familia extendida. (from time to time)
4. Nos gusta ir al cine ____________. (monthly)
5. ____________ dudo de mis capacidades. (sometimes)
6. Es ____________ una coincidencia. (rarely)
7. ____________ pienso en cambiar profesiones. (occasionally)
8. ____________ vemos algo así. (rarely)
9. La enfermedad ____________ puede ser fatal. (rarely)
10. ____________ las leyes son injustas. (sometimes)

Translate the following sentences to English.
1. A veces no sé qué creer.
2. Los efectos secundarios son raramente fatales.
3. De vez en cuando nos sentamos a hablar sobre temas complicados.
4. Ocasionalmente, uno necesita un descanso largo para recuperar las fuerzas.
5. Rara vez el jefe viene a la oficina.
6. La feria viene al pueblo anualmente.
7. Creo que me está mintiendo algunas veces.
8. Hablamos con un terapeuta mensualmente.
9. Casi nunca veo a mi mejor amigo del colegio.
10. A veces me pierdo en un buen libro.

Translate the following sentences to Spanish.
1. We occasionally go to the library.
2. He sometimes calls me in the middle of the night.
3. I rarely get a chance to rest.
4. From time to time, my parents go out to eat at a nice restaurant.
5. I occasionally get a manicure.
6. Sometimes the teachers don’t give us any homework.
7. You have to turn in the financial reports monthly.
8. I sometimes forget to take my medicine.
9. We rarely miss a day of school.
10. We have a family reunion yearly.

For each of the following statements, state whether it is verdadero or falso. If it is falso, correct the statement.
1. There is only one way to say sometimes in Spanish
2. You can place adverbs of frequency at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence in Spanish

3. Spanish adverbs of frequency describe the verb
4. De vez en cuando and raramente are interchangeable

5. There is not a slight difference between a veces and algunas veces

Practice Your Spanish Adverbs Often!

Mastering the numerous adverbs of frequency in Spanish will make your conversations more interesting and specific! To make sure you remember all of them, take the time to review these common ways to say “sometimes” in Spanish.

Did you know that one of the best ways to practice a new topic in a foreign language is by talking about it with a native speaker? If you don’t have anyone yet to practice your Spanish skills with, try a free trial class with us! Our native Spanish-speaking teachers would love to help strengthen your conversation skill and teach you more adverbs of frequency in Spanish.

Want more FREE Spanish grammar resources? Check out these posts!

Answer Key

Exercise 1: 1) a veces, algunas veces 2) raramente, rara vez, pocas veces, casi nunca 3) de vez en cuando 4) mensualmente 5) anualmente 6) ocasionalmente

Exercise 2: A veces, algunas veces, de vez en cuando, raramente, casi nunca

Exercise 3: 1) anualmente 2) a veces, algunas veces 3) de vez en cuando 4) mensualmente 5) a veces, algunas veces 6) rara vez 7) ocasionalmente 8) raramente, casi nunca 9) raramente, casi nunca, poca vez 10) a veces, algunas veces

Exercise 4: 1) Sometimes I don’t know what to believe. 2) The side effects are rarely fatal. 3) From time to time we sit down and talk about complicated issues. 4) Occasionally, one needs a long break to recover their strength. 5) The boss rarely comes to the office. 6) The fair comes to the town annually. 7) I believe he is lying to me sometimes. 8) We talk to a therapist monthly. 9) I rarely see my best friend from high school. 10) Sometime I lose myself in a good book.

Exercise 5: 1) Ocasionalmente vamos a la biblioteca. 2) A veces (algunas veces) él me llama en medio de la noche. 3) Raramente (rara vez, casi nunca) tengo chance de descansar. 4) De vez en cuando mis padres salen a comer en un restaurante bonito. 5) Ocasionalmente me hago manicura. 6) A veces (algunas veces) los maestros no nos dan tarea. 7) Tienes que entregar los reportes financieros mensualmente. 8) A veces (algunas veces) se me olvida tomar mi medicina. 9) Raramente (rara vez, casi nunca) perdemos un día del colegio. 10) Tenemos una reunión familiar anualmente.

Exercise 6: 1) falso – you can use a veces or algunas veces to say sometimes in Spanish. 2) verdadero 3) verdadero 4) falso – de vez en cuando and ocasionalmente are interchangeable 5) falso – There is a slight difference between a veces and algunas veces. Algunas veces means slightly less frequent than a veces

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Ashley Reid

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I have a B.A. in Linguistics and a passion for Spanish. I've lived in Latin America for almost a decade. I'm a freelance writer and ESL teacher, as well as a loving mom and wife. In my free time, I dabble in art and music.