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Time and Frequency Phrases: de vez en cuando, a menudo, de repente, poco a poco",null,{"type":49,"value":50,"toc":721},"minimark",[51,56,85,104,117,122,125,182,196,200,203,246,267,271,274,336,362,366,369,406,428,432,435,618,622,628,641,651,665,678,687,694,698],[52,53,55],"h1",{"id":54},"spanish-set-phrases-of-time-frequency-and-manner","Spanish Set Phrases of Time, Frequency and Manner",[57,58,59,60,64,65,68,69,72,73,76,77,80,81,84],"p",{},"Single-word adverbs get you so far, but real Spanish runs on ",[61,62,63],"strong",{},"fixed multi-word phrases"," to say how often, how fast and in what manner things happen. ",[61,66,67],{},"De vez en cuando"," (from time to time), ",[61,70,71],{},"a menudo"," (often), ",[61,74,75],{},"de repente"," (suddenly), ",[61,78,79],{},"poco a poco"," (little by little): these are learned ",[61,82,83],{},"whole",", not assembled from rules.",[57,86,87,88,91,92,95,96,99,100,103],{},"That is the single most important thing about them. The pieces do not add up. ",[61,89,90],{},"Cada dos por tres"," is literally \"every two by three\" and means ",[61,93,94],{},"constantly","; ",[61,97,98],{},"en un abrir y cerrar de ojos"," is \"in an opening and closing of eyes\" and means ",[61,101,102],{},"in an instant",". Stop translating the parts, store the whole phrase, and drop it in ready-made - exactly as English does with \"once in a while\" or \"on and off\".",[57,105,106,107,112,113,116],{},"If you have not yet met the ",[108,109,111],"a",{"href":110},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fadverbs-advanced","non -mente single-word adverbs",", start there. This page is the next layer up: the fixed ",[61,114,115],{},"chunks",".",[118,119,121],"h2",{"id":120},"frequency-how-often","Frequency: how often",[57,123,124],{},"The workhorses of the frequency scale, from rare to relentless.",[126,127,128,135,141,147,153,159,164,170,176],"ul",{},[129,130,131,134],"li",{},[61,132,133],{},"rara vez \u002F pocas veces"," = rarely, seldom",[129,136,137,140],{},[61,138,139],{},"de vez en cuando"," = from time to time, now and again",[129,142,143,146],{},[61,144,145],{},"de cuando en cuando"," = every now and then (slightly more formal twin of the above)",[129,148,149,152],{},[61,150,151],{},"de tanto en tanto"," = every so often",[129,154,155,158],{},[61,156,157],{},"a veces"," = sometimes",[129,160,161,163],{},[61,162,71],{}," = often",[129,165,166,169],{},[61,167,168],{},"siempre que"," = whenever, every time that",[129,171,172,175],{},[61,173,174],{},"una y otra vez"," = again and again, over and over",[129,177,178,181],{},[61,179,180],{},"cada dos por tres"," = constantly, every five minutes",[57,183,184,187,188,191,192,195],{},[61,185,186],{},"Voy al cine de vez en cuando."," (I go to the cinema now and again.) ",[61,189,190],{},"Me lo repite una y otra vez."," (He tells me over and over.) And the star troublemaker: ",[61,193,194],{},"me llama cada dos por tres"," (he rings me every five minutes) - the literal \"every two by three\" gives no clue, so learn it whole, usually with a hint of exasperation.",[118,197,199],{"id":198},"suddenness-and-speed-how-fast","Suddenness and speed: how fast",[57,201,202],{},"For things that happen abruptly, or that you want done quickly.",[126,204,205,211,217,222,228,234,240],{},[129,206,207,210],{},[61,208,209],{},"de repente \u002F de pronto"," = suddenly (the neutral everyday choices)",[129,212,213,216],{},[61,214,215],{},"de golpe"," = all at once, in one blow (abrupt, forceful)",[129,218,219,221],{},[61,220,98],{}," = in the blink of an eye",[129,223,224,227],{},[61,225,226],{},"enseguida"," = right away, in a moment",[129,229,230,233],{},[61,231,232],{},"cuanto antes"," = as soon as possible",[129,235,236,239],{},[61,237,238],{},"de una vez"," = once and for all, in one go",[129,241,242,245],{},[61,243,244],{},"sobre la marcha"," = as you go, on the fly",[57,247,248,251,252,254,255,258,259,262,263,266],{},[61,249,250],{},"De repente empezó a llover."," (Suddenly it started to rain.) The three suddenly-words overlap, but ",[61,253,215],{}," adds force: ",[61,256,257],{},"lo entendió todo de golpe"," (he understood it all at once). ",[61,260,261],{},"Termina de una vez"," (finish it once and for all) carries impatience, while ",[61,264,265],{},"lo decidimos sobre la marcha"," (we decided as we went along) means improvising without a plan.",[118,268,270],{"id":269},"time-reference-when-until-from-when","Time reference: when, until, from when",[57,272,273],{},"Phrases that anchor an action in time, or set a horizon.",[126,275,276,282,288,294,300,306,312,318,324,330],{},[129,277,278,281],{},[61,279,280],{},"de momento \u002F por ahora"," = for now, for the time being",[129,283,284,287],{},[61,285,286],{},"hasta ahora"," = so far, up to now",[129,289,290,293],{},[61,291,292],{},"a partir de"," = from... on (takes a date or time)",[129,295,296,299],{},[61,297,298],{},"de aquí en adelante"," = from now on",[129,301,302,305],{},[61,303,304],{},"tarde o temprano"," = sooner or later",[129,307,308,311],{},[61,309,310],{},"a la larga"," = in the long run",[129,313,314,317],{},[61,315,316],{},"a corto plazo \u002F a largo plazo"," = in the short term \u002F in the long term",[129,319,320,323],{},[61,321,322],{},"hoy en día"," = nowadays, these days",[129,325,326,329],{},[61,327,328],{},"a tiempo"," = on time, in time",[129,331,332,335],{},[61,333,334],{},"a la vez \u002F al mismo tiempo"," = at the same time",[57,337,338,341,342,345,346,349,350,352,353,356,357,359,360,116],{},[61,339,340],{},"De momento me quedo aquí."," (For now I am staying here.) ",[61,343,344],{},"A partir del lunes estudio más."," (From Monday on I study more.) ",[61,347,348],{},"Tarde o temprano vas a entenderlo."," (Sooner or later you will understand it.) Note the contrast between ",[61,351,310],{}," and ",[61,354,355],{},"a corto plazo",": the plan that looks costly ",[61,358,355],{}," may pay off ",[61,361,310],{},[118,363,365],{"id":364},"degree-and-approximation-how-much-how-nearly","Degree and approximation: how much, how nearly",[57,367,368],{},"Fixed phrases for hedging, softening or intensifying.",[126,370,371,377,382,388,394,400],{},[129,372,373,376],{},[61,374,375],{},"más o menos"," = more or less, roughly",[129,378,379,381],{},[61,380,79],{}," = little by little, gradually",[129,383,384,387],{},[61,385,386],{},"a duras penas"," = barely, with great difficulty",[129,389,390,393],{},[61,391,392],{},"con creces"," = amply, more than enough",[129,395,396,399],{},[61,397,398],{},"ni de lejos"," = not by a long shot, nowhere near",[129,401,402,405],{},[61,403,404],{},"en absoluto"," = not at all (emphatic negative)",[57,407,408,411,412,415,416,419,420,423,424,427],{},[61,409,410],{},"Aprendemos poco a poco."," (We are learning little by little.) ",[61,413,414],{},"Aprobó con creces."," (He passed with room to spare.) ",[61,417,418],{},"A duras penas llegué a tiempo."," (I barely made it on time.) The two emphatic negatives are worth pinning: ",[61,421,422],{},"no es ni de lejos el mejor"," (it is nowhere near the best), and ",[61,425,426],{},"no me gustó en absoluto"," (I did not like it at all).",[118,429,431],{"id":430},"the-phrase-table","The phrase table",[57,433,434],{},"One card for the phrases learners reach for most.",[436,437,438,454],"table",{},[439,440,441],"thead",{},[442,443,444,448,451],"tr",{},[445,446,447],"th",{},"Spanish phrase",[445,449,450],{},"Literal sense",[445,452,453],{},"Rough English",[455,456,457,468,478,488,498,508,518,528,538,548,558,568,578,588,598,608],"tbody",{},[442,458,459,462,465],{},[460,461,139],"td",{},[460,463,464],{},"from time in when",[460,466,467],{},"from time to time",[442,469,470,472,475],{},[460,471,71],{},[460,473,474],{},"at frequent",[460,476,477],{},"often",[442,479,480,482,485],{},[460,481,180],{},[460,483,484],{},"every two by three",[460,486,487],{},"every five minutes",[442,489,490,492,495],{},[460,491,174],{},[460,493,494],{},"one and other time",[460,496,497],{},"again and again",[442,499,500,502,505],{},[460,501,209],{},[460,503,504],{},"of sudden",[460,506,507],{},"suddenly",[442,509,510,512,515],{},[460,511,98],{},[460,513,514],{},"in an open and close of eyes",[460,516,517],{},"in the blink of an eye",[442,519,520,522,525],{},[460,521,232],{},[460,523,524],{},"how much before",[460,526,527],{},"as soon as possible",[442,529,530,532,535],{},[460,531,238],{},[460,533,534],{},"of one time",[460,536,537],{},"once and for all",[442,539,540,542,545],{},[460,541,280],{},[460,543,544],{},"of moment \u002F for now",[460,546,547],{},"for now",[442,549,550,552,555],{},[460,551,304],{},[460,553,554],{},"late or early",[460,556,557],{},"sooner or later",[442,559,560,562,565],{},[460,561,322],{},[460,563,564],{},"today in day",[460,566,567],{},"nowadays",[442,569,570,572,575],{},[460,571,310],{},[460,573,574],{},"at the long",[460,576,577],{},"in the long run",[442,579,580,582,585],{},[460,581,79],{},[460,583,584],{},"little to little",[460,586,587],{},"little by little",[442,589,590,592,595],{},[460,591,386],{},[460,593,594],{},"at hard sorrows",[460,596,597],{},"barely",[442,599,600,602,605],{},[460,601,392],{},[460,603,604],{},"with increases",[460,606,607],{},"amply, and then some",[442,609,610,612,615],{},[460,611,404],{},[460,613,614],{},"in absolute",[460,616,617],{},"not at all",[118,619,621],{"id":620},"the-ones-that-trip-learners-up","The ones that trip learners up",[57,623,624,627],{},[61,625,626],{},"Cada dos por tres."," Nothing in the words says \"constantly\". Store it whole and remember the grumbling tone.",[57,629,630,633,634,636,637,640],{},[61,631,632],{},"En absoluto means the opposite of what it looks like."," It looks like \"absolutely\" but means ",[61,635,617],{},": ",[61,638,639],{},"no estoy de acuerdo en absoluto"," (I do not agree at all). It only ever intensifies a negative.",[57,642,643,646,647,650],{},[61,644,645],{},"Ni de lejos"," likewise reads as \"nor from afar\" but means ",[61,648,649],{},"nowhere near",", and always attaches to a negative or a comparison.",[57,652,653,656,657,660,661,664],{},[61,654,655],{},"Por ahora is not ahora mismo."," ",[61,658,659],{},"Por ahora"," (for now) is provisional; ",[61,662,663],{},"ahora mismo"," (right now) is immediate. Mixing them changes the whole sense.",[57,666,667,670,671,674,675,677],{},[61,668,669],{},"A la vez versus a la larga."," One letter of difference in your memory, a world of meaning: ",[61,672,673],{},"a la vez"," is \"at the same time\", ",[61,676,310],{}," is \"in the long run\".",[57,679,680,683,684,686],{},[61,681,682],{},"Tarde o temprano keeps its order."," It is always ",[61,685,304],{}," (late or early), never the English order \"early or late\".",[57,688,689,690,693],{},"Learn these as ",[61,691,692],{},"whole chunks",", match the tone to the family, and your Spanish stops sounding assembled and starts sounding spoken.",[118,695,697],{"id":696},"see-also","See also",[126,699,700,706,713],{},[129,701,702,705],{},[108,703,704],{"href":110},"Spanish adverbs of place, time and degree"," - the single-word adverbs these phrases sit alongside.",[129,707,708,712],{},[108,709,711],{"href":710},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fser-vs-estar","Ser vs estar"," - the verbs many of these time phrases modify.",[129,714,715,716,720],{},"The ",[108,717,719],{"href":718},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," has the frequency scale and the suddenly-phrases on one card.",{"title":722,"searchDepth":723,"depth":723,"links":724},"",2,[725,726,727,728,729,730,731],{"id":120,"depth":723,"text":121},{"id":198,"depth":723,"text":199},{"id":269,"depth":723,"text":270},{"id":364,"depth":723,"text":365},{"id":430,"depth":723,"text":431},{"id":620,"depth":723,"text":621},{"id":696,"depth":723,"text":697},"B2","The fixed multi-word Spanish phrases of time, frequency and manner - de vez en cuando, a menudo, de repente, poco a poco, tarde o temprano - learned whole, not word by word.",[735,771],{"type":736,"instructions":737,"items":738},"fill-blank","Complete each fixed phrase with the missing word. These are whole chunks, so learn the exact wording.",[739,743,747,751,755,759,763,767],{"prompt":740,"answer":741,"hint":742},"Voy al cine de ___ en cuando. (from time to time)","vez","de ___ en cuando means now and again",{"prompt":744,"answer":745,"hint":746},"Como en un restaurante a ___. (often)","menudo","a ___ means often",{"prompt":748,"answer":749,"hint":750},"___ o temprano vas a entenderlo. (sooner or later)","tarde","the opposite of temprano goes first",{"prompt":752,"answer":753,"hint":754},"Vamos a aprender poco a ___. (little by little)","poco","the word repeats",{"prompt":756,"answer":757,"hint":758},"De ___ empezó a llover. (suddenly)","repente","de ___ means suddenly",{"prompt":760,"answer":761,"hint":762},"Ven aquí cuanto ___. (as soon as possible)","antes","cuanto ___ means as soon as you can",{"prompt":764,"answer":765,"hint":766},"Hoy en ___ todo el mundo tiene móvil. (nowadays)","día","hoy en ___ means these days",{"prompt":768,"answer":769,"hint":770},"Terminó el examen en un ___ y cerrar de ojos. (in an instant)","abrir","an opening and closing of the eyes",{"type":772,"instructions":773,"items":774},"which-one","Choose the phrase that fits the meaning in brackets.",[775,778,783,786,789,792],{"prompt":776,"answer":180,"options":777},"Me llama ___. (constantly, every five minutes)",[180,139],{"prompt":779,"answer":780,"options":781},"___ me quedo en casa. (for now)","De momento",[780,782],"De una vez",{"prompt":784,"answer":673,"options":785},"Lo hizo todo ___. (at the same time)",[673,310],{"prompt":787,"answer":238,"options":788},"Termina el trabajo ___. (once and for all)",[238,139],{"prompt":790,"answer":310,"options":791},"El plan es bueno ___. (in the long run)",[310,355],{"prompt":793,"answer":404,"options":794},"No me gustó ___. (at all)",[404,375],"md",[797,800,803,806],{"q":798,"a":799},"What is the difference between de vez en cuando and a menudo?","They sit at opposite ends of the frequency scale. De vez en cuando means from time to time or now and again - something that happens occasionally, not on a schedule: voy al cine de vez en cuando (I go to the cinema now and again). A menudo means often, a much higher frequency: como fuera a menudo (I eat out often). Between them sit a veces (sometimes) and its near-twin de cuando en cuando, which is just a slightly more formal way of saying de vez en cuando. At the very top of the scale is cada dos por tres, which despite its odd literal wording means constantly, every five minutes, all the time.",{"q":801,"a":802},"Are de repente, de pronto and de golpe interchangeable?","Broadly yes, all three mean suddenly and you can swap them in most sentences: de repente empezó a llover, de pronto empezó a llover, de golpe empezó a llover (suddenly it started to rain). There are shades. De repente and de pronto are the neutral everyday choices for an unexpected event. De golpe adds a sense of abruptness or force, all at once, in one blow, so it fits a sharp physical or emotional jolt: lo entendió todo de golpe (he understood it all at once). For pure speed rather than surprise, reach instead for en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, in the blink of an eye.",{"q":804,"a":805},"What does cada dos por tres mean, and why is it confusing?","It means constantly, all the time, every five minutes, and it confuses learners because the literal words, every two by three, give no clue to the meaning. It is a pure idiom: you cannot work it out, you have to store it whole. Use it for something annoyingly frequent: me llama cada dos por tres (he rings me every five minutes). It is more emphatic and more colloquial than a menudo, and usually carries a hint of exasperation, so it is closer to English every five minutes used as a grumble than to a neutral often.",{"q":807,"a":808},"How do I say for now and from now on in Spanish?","For now is de momento or por ahora, two interchangeable phrases: de momento me quedo aqui (for now I am staying here). From now on is de aqui en adelante or a partir de ahora: a partir de ahora estudio mas (from now on I study more). The building block a partir de means from a given point onward and takes a time or date: a partir del lunes (from Monday on). Do not confuse por ahora (for now) with ahora mismo (right now, this instant): the first is provisional, the second is immediate.","higher","Beyond the single-word adverbs, Spanish leans on a huge stock of fixed multi-word phrases to say how often, how suddenly and in what manner something happens. De vez en cuando (from time to time), a menudo (often), de repente (suddenly), poco a poco (little by little), tarde o temprano (sooner or later): these are not built from rules, they are learned as whole chunks, the way English learns 'once in a while' or 'in the blink of an eye'. Try to assemble them word by word and you get nonsense, because the pieces do not add up to the meaning: cada dos por tres is literally 'every two by three' but means 'constantly', and en un abrir y cerrar de ojos is 'in an opening and closing of eyes', that is, in an instant. The trick is to stop translating and start storing the phrase as a single unit, ready to drop in. This page gathers the most useful of these set expressions into four families - frequency, suddenness and speed, time reference, and degree - with a table of meanings and rough English equivalents, and flags the ones that most often trip learners up.","spanish",{},true,"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fidioms-frequency",{"title":46,"description":733},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fidioms-frequency","JoorpXUPRqy8z9MzQLqbSJJqLFoAu4imQNYxMlHOv_c",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":820},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":822},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":824},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M20 20a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-7.9a2 2 0 0 1-1.69-.9L9.6 3.9A2 2 0 0 0 7.93 3H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v13a2 2 0 0 0 2 2Zm-8-10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m15 13l-3 3l-3-3\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":826},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 4.702a.705.705 0 0 0-1.203-.498L6.413 7.587A1.4 1.4 0 0 1 5.416 8H3a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h2.416a1.4 1.4 0 0 1 .997.413l3.383 3.384A.705.705 0 0 0 11 19.298zM16 9a5 5 0 0 1 0 6m3.364 3.364a9 9 0 0 0 0-12.728\"\u002F>"]