いつも・よく・ときどきitsumo・yoku・tokidoki
Itsumo・yoku・tokidoki (いつも・よく・ときどき) means “frequency: always to sometimes”.
I sometimes eat at a restaurant.
Use these adverbs to describe how often a habit happens; あまり and 全然 take a negative form.
In the course
How it works
Colored dots show that the action happened. From always to often to sometimes, it happens less and less frequently.
Exercising rarely is different from never exercising: the top shows occasional exercise; the bottom shows none at all.
Use these words to describe everyday habits, such as running in the morning, going to a restaurant, or exercising.
The dots only help compare frequency; they do not give a fixed number of times. “Often” has no set percentage.
To mean “not very much/often” and “not at all,” both 「あまり」 and 「全然」 are followed by a negative form.
The example says the person does not exercise often, but they may still exercise sometimes. あまりしません does not mean never doing it.
In the restaurant example, “sometimes” describes how often the person eats there, not how much they eat each time.
Example sentences
- ときどきtokidokiレストランresutoranでde食べます。tabemasu
I sometimes eat at a restaurant.
- 運動undouはwaあまりamariしません。shimasen
I don't exercise much.
In a conversation
- A運動はよくしますか。
A: Do you exercise often?
- Bいいえ、あまりしません。
B: No, not very often.
- Aそう
Check yourself
Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
I always wake up at 6 in the morning.
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
スーパーへ買い物に行きます。
I often go shopping at the supermarket.
More grammar in this theme
- いつも・よく・ときどきfrequency: always to sometimes