Lesson 14
To form a sentence which uses adverbs of frequency (빈도 부사) in Korean - such as “seldom”, “almost”, or “always” - it is important to not just memorize the words, but to also actually practice using them along with the verbs used in conjunction with 빈도 부사.
Take a look at some 빈도 부사 in Korean:
- 가끔 = sometimes
- 자주 = often
- 항상 = always [more common in written language]
- 맨날 = (lit. every day), always; all the time [more common in spoken language]
- 별로 = seldom; rarely
- 전혀 = not at all
- 거의 = almost (but) not at all
Where do 빈도 부사 fit in a sentence?
These 빈도 부사 usually go right before the verb of a sentence, but unlike in English, their position is very flexible. As long as the meaning of your sentence is clear, it does not matter where they are placed. You can, however, emphasize a certain part of a sentence by changing the word order and intonation.
Sample Sentences
가끔 서점에 가요.
= I sometimes go to the bookstore.
= 서점에 가끔 가요. (The speaker might be emphasizing 가끔 here.)
자주 한국 영화 봐요.
= I often watch Korean movies.
= 한국 영화 자주 봐요. (The speaker might be emphasizing 자주 here.)
그런 말 정말 자주 들어요.
= I hear that really often.
= I get that really often.
항상 물어보고 싶었어요.
= I have always wanted to ask you (that).
중국어를 맨날 공부하는데, 아직 어려워요.
= I study Chinese all the time, but it is still difficult.
요즘에는 운동을 별로 안 해요.
= I rarely work out these days.
= These days, I seldom work out.
= These days, I do not work out that often.
화장을 전혀 안 해요.
= I do not put on makeup at all.
= I never put on makeup.
= I do not put on any makeup at all.
시간이 없어서, 친구들을 거의 못 만나요.
= I do not have time, so I can hardly meet my friends.
라디오를 거의 맨날 들어요.
= I listen to the radio almost every day.