Expressing "how often"

Level

B1 / HSK0
Level

B1
Level

HSK0
Similar to
Similar to
Used for

Expressing frequency
Keywords

每, 多长时间

Asking "how often" is one of those things that seems so simple in English but relatively complicated in Chinese. The way to ask in Chinese is, literally, "how long of a time" (do something) "one time." So you'll need the phrases 多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān) and 一次 (yī cì).

Asking About Frequency

In English you let the person answering the question decide both the length of time and how many times an action is done within that timeframe. So if you ask "how often," you might get an answer like "twice a week." But in Chinese, the frequency is fixed at "once" as part of the question. That actually won't stop people from answering "twice a week" in Chinese, though; it's just how the question is normally phrased in Chinese.

Structure

Subj. + 多长时间 + Verb + 一次 (+ Obj.)

Examples

你 多长时间 踢球 一次 ？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān tīqiú yī cì?
你 多长时间 踢 一次 球？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān tī yī cì qiú?How often do you play soccer?

你 多长时间 剪头发 一次 ？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān jiǎn tóufa yī cì?
你 多长时间 剪 一次 头发？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān jiǎn yī cì tóufa?How often do you cut your hair?

你 多长时间 刮胡子 一次 ？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān guā húzi yī cì?
你 多长时间 刮 一次 胡子？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān guā yī cì húzi?How often do you shave?

Talking About Frequency in General

Structure

Subj. + [Length of Time] + Verb + Times (+ Obj.)

Examples

我 一周 给妈妈打 两次 电话。Wǒ yī zhōu gěi māma dǎ liǎng cì diànhuà.I give mom a call twice a week.
我们公司 一周 开 一次 会。Wǒmen gōngsī yī zhōu kāi yī cì huì.Our company holds one meeting per week.
我 两个月 剪 一次 头发。Wǒ liǎng gè yuè jiǎn yī cì tóufa.I cut my hair every two months.
我的手机 两天 充 一次 电。Wǒ de shǒujī liǎng tiān chōng yī cì diàn.I charge my phone every two days.
这种药 四个小时 吃 一次 。Zhè zhǒng yào sì gè xiǎoshí chī yī cì.Take this medicine every four hours.
你应该 半年 做 一次 体检。Nǐ yīnggāi bàn nián zuò yī cì tǐjiǎn.You should have a physical examination every half year.

When NOT to Use This Pattern

The thing about using the pattern above is that it's expected that the activity is done regularly, as part of a habit. If it's not an activity that's regularly engaged in, it's weird to use the pattern. Consider the following examples:

你 多长时间 换 一个 手机？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān huàn yī gè shǒujī?How often do you buy a new cell phone?
你 多长时间 加 一次 班？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān jiā yī cì bān?How often do you work overtime?
你 多长时间 吃 一次 牛油果？Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān chī yī cì niúyóuguǒ?How often do you eat avocado?

In these cases, the speaker is trying to get any idea of how often the other person does something, regardless of how regular or habitual it is. In this case, just use 经常 (or similar) to ask about it.

你经常换手机吗？Nǐ jīngcháng huàn shǒujī ma?Do you often buy a new cell phone?
你经常加班吗？Nǐ jīngcháng jiābān ma?Do you often work late?
你 很少 吃牛油果吧？Nǐ hěnshǎo chī niúyóuguǒ ba?You rarely eat avocado, right?

Sources and further reading

Books

Expressing "how often"

Contents

Asking About Frequency

Structure

Examples

Talking About Frequency in General

Structure

Examples

When NOT to Use This Pattern

See also

Sources and further reading

Books