SEMAINE 10 – JOUR 1 Adverbs of Frequency : Grammaire + Listening
INTRODUCTION
Pour parler anglais avec fluidité, tu dois savoir parler de tes habitudes.
Un entrepreneur parle de ce qu’il fait :
régulièrement
souvent
rarement
jamais
Les adverbs of frequency te permettent d’exprimer la discipline, la constance et les routines.
Aujourd’hui, tu apprends à les utiliser correctement.
LISTENING DU JOUR
COURS & EXERCICE D'APPLICATION
Mon Coach Pro · Grammaire B1–B2
Adverbs of Frequency
How Often? — Describing Habits & Routines
Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. They are essential for describing habits, routines and repeated actions — one of the most common uses in everyday English.
Question : How often do you…?
Answer : I always / usually / often / sometimes / rarely / never + verb…
Answer : I always / usually / often / sometimes / rarely / never + verb…
always
100% — toujours
almost always
~90% — presque toujours
usually
~80% — d'habitude
often / frequently
~65% — souvent
sometimes
~50% — parfois
occasionally
~35% — de temps en temps
rarely / seldom
~15% — rarement
hardly ever
~8% — presque jamais
never
0% — jamais
Rule 1 : Before the main verb (except the verb "to be")
Subject
+
ADVERB
+
main verb
+
rest
She always wakes up at 6am.
Elle se réveille toujours à 6h du matin.
Konan usually studies in the evening.
Konan étudie généralement le soir.
They never eat breakfast before school.
Ils ne mangent jamais le petit-déjeuner avant l'école.
Rule 2 : After the verb "to be"
Subject
+
am/is/are/was/were
+
ADVERB
+
rest
She is always on time for her lessons.
Elle est toujours à l'heure pour ses cours.
The market is usually very busy on Saturdays.
Le marché est généralement très animé le samedi.
He was never late when he worked here.
Il n'était jamais en retard quand il travaillait ici.
Rule 3 : Between auxiliary and main verb
Subject
+
auxiliary
+
ADVERB
+
main verb
She has always wanted to become a doctor.
Elle a toujours voulu devenir médecin.
They have never visited Abidjan before.
Ils n'ont jamais visité Abidjan auparavant.
⚠️ Common position errors :
✘ She wakes always up at 6am. → ✔ She always wakes up at 6am.
✘ Always she is late. → ✔ She is always late.
✘ He is eat often breakfast. → ✔ He often eats breakfast.
✘ She wakes always up at 6am. → ✔ She always wakes up at 6am.
✘ Always she is late. → ✔ She is always late.
✘ He is eat often breakfast. → ✔ He often eats breakfast.
Some adverbs can also appear at the beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis or style — especially sometimes, usually, often and occasionally.
Beginning of sentence : Usually / Sometimes / Often + subject + verb…
End of sentence : Subject + verb + … + sometimes / often / occasionally
End of sentence : Subject + verb + … + sometimes / often / occasionally
Sometimes I drink tea in the evening instead of coffee.
Parfois, je bois du thé le soir plutôt que du café.
I drink tea in the evening sometimes.
Je bois parfois du thé le soir.
Usually, Aminata prepares her lessons the night before.
D'habitude, Aminata prépare ses cours la veille au soir.
💡 Tip : Always and never cannot start a sentence in standard affirmative English. They must stay in the middle position.
✘ Always I arrive on time. → ✔ I always arrive on time.
✘ Always I arrive on time. → ✔ I always arrive on time.
How often + do/does/did + subject + verb?
How often + am/is/are + subject + adjective?
How often + am/is/are + subject + adjective?
| Question | Possible Answer |
|---|---|
| How often do you exercise? | I usually exercise three times a week. |
| How often does she check her email? | She often checks it in the morning. |
| How often are you late? | I am rarely late — maybe once a month. |
| How often did they meet? | They occasionally met on Fridays. |
In addition to single-word adverbs, you can use adverbial phrases to express frequency. These usually go at the end of the sentence.
| Expression | French | Example |
|---|---|---|
| every day | chaque jour | She practises English every day. |
| once a week | une fois par semaine | He goes to the gym once a week. |
| twice a month | deux fois par mois | They meet twice a month. |
| three times a year | trois fois par an | I visit my village three times a year. |
| every other day | tous les deux jours | I jog every other day. |
| from time to time | de temps en temps | We go to the beach from time to time. |
| now and then | de temps à autre | I cook now and then. |
| on a regular basis | régulièrement | She reviews her notes on a regular basis. |
Be careful with never, hardly ever and rarely — they already carry a negative meaning. Never use them with "not".
⚠️ Double negative — NEVER do this :
✘ She doesn't never study. → ✔ She never studies.
✘ He doesn't rarely go out. → ✔ He rarely goes out.
✘ I don't hardly ever eat fast food. → ✔ I hardly ever eat fast food.
✘ She doesn't never study. → ✔ She never studies.
✘ He doesn't rarely go out. → ✔ He rarely goes out.
✘ I don't hardly ever eat fast food. → ✔ I hardly ever eat fast food.
I never skip my morning routine. ✔
Je ne saute jamais ma routine matinale.
She hardly ever watches television. ✔
Elle regarde presque jamais la télévision.
💬 Dialogue — Talking about daily habits
A
How often do you practise your English outside of class, Aminata?
B
I usually watch an English video every morning before school. I sometimes listen to English podcasts on the gbaka too!
A
That's great! Do you ever speak English with your friends?
B
We occasionally have small conversations in English. But Konan rarely joins us — he is always too shy to speak!
A
He should try! Speaking often is the best way to improve.
| Rule | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before main verb | S + adv + verb | She always studies hard. |
| After verb BE | S + be + adv | He is never late. |
| Between aux + verb | S + aux + adv + verb | She has often visited Abidjan. |
| Start of sentence | Adv + S + verb (sometimes/usually/often) | Sometimes I take the bus. |
| End of sentence | S + verb + adv (sometimes/often) | I take the bus sometimes. |
| Negative (avoid double) | S + never/rarely/hardly ever + verb | She never eats junk food. |
She wakes always up early.
✔ She always wakes up early.
→ Adverb goes BEFORE the main verb, not between verb and particle.
Always I am on time for work.
✔ I am always on time for work.
→ 'Always' cannot start an affirmative sentence. It goes AFTER the verb BE.
He doesn't never eat breakfast.
✔ He never eats breakfast.
→ 'Never' is already negative. Never combine it with 'doesn't / don't'.
She has visited often Abidjan.
✔ She has often visited Abidjan.
→ With auxiliary verbs, the adverb goes BETWEEN the auxiliary and the main verb.
🎓
Coach Assoa vous conseille :
Pour ne jamais vous tromper de position, mémorisez cette règle simple :
① Verbe BE ? → adverbe après (she is always kind)
② Auxiliaire + verbe ? → adverbe entre les deux (she has always known)
③ Verbe ordinaire ? → adverbe avant (she always arrives early)
Entraînez-vous en décrivant votre journée type : "I usually wake up at 6am. I always eat breakfast. I sometimes take the bus…" C'est la meilleure façon d'intégrer ces adverbes naturellement !
📝 Exercise — Adverbs of Frequency
Test your knowledge of position · meaning · expressions · negatives
- ❓ 12 questions
- ⏱️ 15 minutes
- ✅ Immediate correction after each answer
- 📊 Score by category at the end
🎓 Adverbs of Frequency — Mon Coach Pro
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