Always, often, sometimes and never

immer, oft, manchmal, nie

Describe habits and frequency with immer, oft, manchmal, nie and exact expressions such as zweimal pro Woche.

Frequency words answer Wie oft? immer = always, oft = often, manchmal = sometimes, nie = never. They usually sit in the middle of a sentence: Ich fahre oft mit dem Bus. A frequency expression can also come first; then the verb remains second: Manchmal koche ich abends. In Ich rauche nie, nie already supplies the negative meaning, so no extra nicht is needed.

Ich trinke morgens immer Kaffee.

I always drink coffee in the morning.

Ich fahre oft mit dem Bus.

I often travel by bus.

Manchmal koche ich abends.

Sometimes I cook in the evening.

Ich rauche nie.

I never smoke.

Wie oft arbeitest du nachts?

How often do you work at night?

Zweimal pro Woche lerne ich Deutsch.

I study German twice a week.

Choose a broad frequency word or an exact rate. If it follows the verb, keep normal subject–verb order. If it comes first, put the conjugated verb immediately after it.

Use these words to discuss routines, transport, study, work shifts, food and health habits.

Do not add a second negation to simple nie statements, and do not keep the subject before the verb after fronted manchmal or zweimal pro Woche.

immer 100% → oft many times → manchmal some times → nie 0%.

Describe four habits using all four frequency words, then ask someone Wie oft …? and give an exact weekly answer.