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Italian Adverbs of time and frequency

Adverbs of time are used to indicate the temporal relationships between sentences. These adverbs indicate the period in which a certain action takes place, which can be expressed by a verb, an adjective or another adverb. The most used are:

 

ora, adesso, ormai, subito, prima, dopo, ancora, già, presto, tardi, oggi, domani, ieri, stamattina, stasera, stanotte

 

 

Adverbs of time in Italian usually go after the verb. In the case of compound verbs, they are positioned between the auxiliary and the main verb.

 

Within the adverbs of time, a particular group is distinguished: the adverbs of frequency. Instead of indicating a specific time, these adverbs indicate that the action takes place again identical over time. The most used are:

 

sempre, di solito, spesso, ogni tanto, raramente, quasi mai, mai

 

sempre	always
di solito	usually
spesso	oftern
ogni tanto	sometimes
raramente	seldom
quasi mai	almost never
mai	never

 

How to distinguish an adverb of time from an adverb of frequency?

Adverbs of frequency describe how often something happens without expressing a specific time. The adverb of frequency tells you how many times something happens but not exactly when.
Adverbs of time, on the other hand, indicate when a certain action takes place.

 

Io vado sempre al cinema. /I always go to the cinema.

Lucia è sempre stanca. /Lucia is always tired.

 

How to use adverbs of time in Italian?

 

 

Adverbs go after the verb in Italian

In Italian, adverbs are generally placed after the main verb. In the case of compound verbs, they are positioned between the auxiliary and the main verb.

 

After the verb: Ci vediamo prima dell’inizio delle lezioni./ See you before the start of the lessons.

 

Non prendo spesso l’autobus./I don’t often take the bus.

Between the auxiliary and the verb: Sono già arrivati in aeroporto? Sì, sono già lì.

/ Have they already arrived at the airport? Yes, they are already there.

 

Double negation

 

In Italian, adverbs mai/never and quasi mai/almost never need negative sentences.

 

Non vado mai al supermercato. /I never go to the supermarket.

 

Some adverbs of frequency can start a sentence

 

When you want to underline the adverb, you can put this at the beginning of a sentence.

 

Ogni tanto esco con Lucia./ Every now and then I go out with Lucia.

Domani andiamo al cinema./We’re going to the cinema tomorrow.

 

The most curious part of learning a new language is learning the local rhetorical figures and the most used idioms. There are a lot of them that contain Italian adverbs of frequency.

 

Knowing how to use them in the right context will give you spontaneity and confidence. Here are some examples:

 

Chi prima arriva meglio alloggia./Whoever arrives first stays better. > Those who arrive first can choose between several alternatives and therefore have the best option.

 

Piove sempre sul bagnato./It always rains in the wet (it never rains but it pours) > Positive things always happen to those who are already lucky.

 

I guai non vengono mai da soli. /Trouble never comes alone. > When one problem is understood, another is immediately followed.

 

If you want to know more, check out this list of Italian sayings and try to find more on your own.

 

If you want to know more, check out this list of Italian sayings and try to find more on your own.

 

Now that you know Italian adverbs of frequency, have some fun with our Italian exercises.