{"id":69904,"date":"2019-02-18T07:11:44","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T12:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/italian-adverbs-of-frequency\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T08:46:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T12:46:26","slug":"italian-adverbs-of-frequency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/italian-adverbs-of-frequency\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Adverbs of Frequency: Rules, Examples and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mai dire mai… <\/em><\/strong>(Never say never…), especially when it comes to learning Italian adverbs of frequency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I mean, without adverbs of frequency, you literally can’t ever say “never,” “always” or “sometimes.” These words indicate how often something happens and are some of the most common words in any language.<\/p>\n

Let’s go over the most common Italian adverbs of frequency and how to use them like a native speaker.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How Adverbs of Frequency Work in Italian<\/h2>\n

Blah blah blah… yes, we know, grammar is boring. But this little tidbit is more like a language hack that’ll help you unlock Italian adverbs of frequency.<\/p>\n

Adverbs follow the verb<\/h3>\n

In English, adverbs usually go before the main verb.<\/p>\n

I rarely<\/strong> visit my hometown.<\/p>\n

One important exception is that adverbs of frequency are placed after the verb “to be.”<\/p>\n

I am never<\/strong> late.<\/p>\n

In Italian, adverbs are usually placed after the main verb.<\/p>\n

Io vado sempre<\/strong> al supermercato. <\/em>(I always<\/strong> go to the supermarket.)<\/p>\n

Io sono sempre<\/strong> stanco. <\/em>(I am always<\/strong> tired.)<\/p>\n

Notice that this rule is the opposite of the rule in English, and that it doesn’t change for the verb\u00a0essere<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(to be)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Certain adverbs of frequency can start a sentence<\/h3>\n

Sometimes<\/em>, adverbs of frequency can be placed at the beginning<\/strong> of a sentence (see what we did there?). This occurs in both English<\/strong> and Italian.<\/strong> But it only applies to some adverbs, such as “sometimes,” “usually,” “generally” and “normally” in English.<\/p>\n

In Italian, this rule typically applies to\u00a0di solito<\/em><\/strong> (usually)\u00a0and ogni tanto<\/em><\/strong> (sometimes) and their synonyms, though Italian is a bit more liberal about adverb placement. When emphasizing<\/strong>, Italians may place other adverbs of frequency at the beginning of a sentence.<\/p>\n

You don’t have to fear double negatives<\/h3>\n

A big difference<\/strong> in adverbial use between English and Italian is that in Italian, the adverbs\u00a0mai<\/em> (never) and\u00a0quasi mai\u00a0<\/em>(hardly ever) need negative phrases.<\/p>\n

Non<\/strong> vado mai<\/strong> al supermercato. <\/em>(I never go to the supermarket.)<\/p>\n

The Italian verb non vado<\/em> translates to “I don’t go” in English. This is difficult for us to wrap our heads around because it feels like we’re saying “I don’t never go to the supermarket.” Double negatives are a no-no in English, so this can be quite the hurdle for our brains to make.<\/p>\n

Luckily, it’s pretty easy to get used to.<\/p>\n

7 Most Common Italian Adverbs of Frequency<\/h2>\n

It’s time to jump into our complete list of adverbs of frequency in Italian.<\/p>\n

Sempre <\/em>(Always)<\/h3>\n

Andiamo sempre<\/strong> in spiaggia la domenica. <\/em>(We always go to the beach on Sunday.)<\/p>\n

Marco sta sempre<\/strong> bene.<\/em> (Marco is always well.)<\/p>\n

Quando ero giovane, avevo sempre<\/strong> paura del buio. <\/em>(When I was young, I was always afraid of the dark.)<\/p>\n

Di solito <\/em>(Usually)<\/h3>\n

Synonyms:<\/strong> solitamente, normalmente, generalmente<\/em><\/p>\n

Di solito<\/strong> mi sveglio alle 7. <\/em>(I usually wake up at 7 a.m.)<\/p>\n

Le risposte si trovano di solito<\/strong> alla pagina 96.<\/em> (The answers are usually found on page 96.)<\/p>\n

Di solito <\/strong>prendo il treno che parte da Firenze quando vado a Roma. <\/em>(I usually take the train from Florence when I go to Rome.)<\/p>\n

Spesso <\/em>(Often)<\/h3>\n

Synonyms:<\/strong> frequentemente<\/em><\/p>\n

Non vanno spesso<\/strong> a teatro. <\/em>(They don’t often go to the theater.)<\/p>\n

Ho mangiato spesso<\/strong> il gelato l’estate scorsa. <\/em>(I often ate ice cream last summer.)<\/p>\n

Pranzate spesso<\/strong> in terrazza? <\/em>(Do you often have lunch on the terrace?)<\/p>\n

Ogni tanto<\/em>\u00a0(Sometimes)<\/h3>\n

Synonyms:<\/strong> Qualche volta, a volte<\/em><\/p>\n

Ogni tanto\u00a0<\/strong>facciamo una cena da Antonio. <\/em>(We sometimes have dinner at Antonio’s.)<\/p>\n

Prendo le vitamine ogni tanto<\/strong>. Mi fanno bene. <\/em>(I sometimes take vitamins. They are good for me.)<\/p>\n

Ogni tanto<\/strong> ho voglia di mangiare il sedano. <\/em>(Sometimes, I have a desire to eat celery.)<\/p>\n

Raramente <\/em>(Rarely)<\/h3>\n

Marta viene raramente<\/strong> quando facciamo una festa. <\/em>(Marta rarely comes when we have parties.)<\/p>\n

Raramente<\/strong> bevo il vino.<\/em> (I rarely drink wine.)<\/p>\n

Perch\u00e9 vai cos\u00ed raramente<\/strong> al cinema? <\/em>(Why do you so rarely go to the cinema?)<\/p>\n

Quasi mai <\/em>(Hardly ever)<\/h3>\n

Non ho quasi mai<\/strong>\u00a0voglia di andare a letto presto. <\/em>(I hardly ever feel like going to bed early.)<\/p>\n

Mi piace dipingere, ma non lo faccio quasi mai<\/strong>. <\/em>(I like to paint, but I hardly ever do it.)<\/p>\n

Non facciamo quasi mai<\/strong> le vacanze all’estero. <\/em>(We hardly ever spend the holidays abroad.)<\/p>\n

Mai <\/em>(Never)<\/h3>\n

Non sono mai<\/strong> andato in Spagna. <\/em>(I’ve never been to Spain.)<\/p>\n

Non apriamo mai<\/strong> le finestre quando fa freddo. <\/em>(We never open the windows when it’s cold out.)<\/p>\n

Perch\u00e9 non fai mai<\/strong> i compiti a casa? <\/em>(Why don’t you ever do your homework?)<\/p>\n

Seeing Italian adverbs of frequency in context can help you understand both their meaning and use.<\/p>\n

For example, you could listen out for them in different types of Italian content, like movies<\/a> or TV shows<\/a>, or you could even try using an immersive language learning program like FluentU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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