How often: de vez en cuando, a menudo

Spanish says how often, how suddenly and when with fixed chunks, and the pieces rarely add up to the meaning:

• Voy al cine de vez en cuando. - I go to the cinema now and then.
• Me llama cada dos por tres. - He/she rings me every five minutes.

Time and frequency phrases at a glance

The phrases learners reach for most. Each one is a chunk: learn it whole.

How often: from rara vez to cada dos por tres

Put the frequency phrases on one line and they sort themselves:

A veces (sometimes) sits near de vez en cuando. De cuando en cuando and de tanto en tanto are rarer twins of de vez en cuando:

• Nos vemos de tanto en tanto. - We see each other every so often.

Cada dos por tres is pure idiom, usually with a grumble in it. Do not confuse it with cada + a number, which is plain counting:

• Llamo a mi madre cada dos días. - I ring my mother every two days.
• Mi hermano llama cada dos por tres. - My brother rings every five minutes.