How Often? Adverbs of Frequency and Where They Go
Always, usually, sometimes, never — what they mean and the word-order rule that decides where they sit in the sentence.
Saying how often something happens needs two things: the right word, and the right position. The position is the part learners get wrong.
The scale
| Adverb | Roughly |
|---|---|
| always | 100% |
| usually | 90% |
| often | 70% |
| sometimes | 50% |
| rarely / seldom | 10% |
| never | 0% |
Where they go
Before the main verb:
I always drink coffee in the morning. She never eats breakfast.
After the verb "be":
He is always late. (not always is) They are usually here by nine.
Between the auxiliary and the main verb:
I have often wondered about that. You should always check the date.
The rule in one line: before the main verb, but after "be" and after the first auxiliary.
Never is already negative
❌ I don't never go there. ✅ I never go there.
English does not use two negatives to mean one. Never does the whole job by itself.
Longer expressions go at the ends
Phrases like every day, once a week, twice a month, from time to time behave differently — they go at the beginning or the end, not in the middle.
✅ I go swimming twice a week. ✅ Every morning, she walks the dog. ❌ I twice a week go swimming.
Asking about frequency
- How often do you travel for work?
- — About once a month. / Hardly ever.
Hardly ever means almost never, and it is far more common in speech than seldom.
Test yourself
The quiz below is mostly about position — that is where the marks are lost.