Difference between revisions of "Expressing "how often""

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{{Grammar Box}}  
  
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 "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 the questions "how often?" ==
+
== 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 ===
 
=== Structure ===
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
+
Subj. + 多长时间 + Verb + 一次 (+ Obj.)
Subj. + 多长时间 + Verb + 一次 (+ Obj.)
 
 
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
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<ul>
 
<ul>
<li class="x">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 看 电影 <em>一 次</em> ?</li>
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<li class="x">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 踢球 <em>一 次</em> ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> tīqiú <em>yī cì</em>?</span>
<li class="o">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 电影?</li>
+
<li class="o">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 球 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> tī <em>yī cì</em> qiú?</span><span class="trans">How often do you play soccer?</span></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
<li class="x">你们 <em>多 长 时间</em> 吃 火锅 <em>一 次</em>?</li>
+
<li class="x"><em>多 长 时间</em> 剪 头发 <em>一 次</em> ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> jiǎn tóufa <em>yī cì</em>?</span>
<li class="o">你们 <em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 火锅?</li>
+
<li class="o"><em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 头发 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> jiǎn <em>yī cì</em> tóufa?</span><span class="trans">How often do you cut your hair?</span></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
 
<ul>
 
<ul>
<li class="x">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 回 老家<em>一 次</em>?</li>
+
<li class="x">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 刮 胡子 <em>一 次</em> ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> guā húzi <em>yī cì</em>?</span>
<li class="o">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 老家?</li>
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<li class="o">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 胡子 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> guā <em>yī cì</em> húzi?</span><span class="trans">How often do you shave?</span></li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
<ul>
+
</div>
<li class="x">你 的 手机 <em>多 长 时间</em> 充电 <em>一 次</em>?</li>
+
 
<li class="o">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 充电<em>一 次</em>?</li>
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== Talking About Frequency in General ==
</ul>
+
 
 +
=== Structure ===
 +
 
 +
<div class="jiegou">
 +
Subj. + [Length of Time]  + Verb + Times (+ Obj.)
 +
</div>
 +
 
 +
=== Examples ===
 +
 
 +
<div class="liju">
  
<ul>
+
*我 <em>一 周</em> 给 妈妈 打 <em>两 次</em> 电话 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yī zhōu</em> gěi māma dǎ <em>liǎng cì</em> diànhuà.</span><span class="trans">I give mom a call twice a week.</span>
<li class="x"><em>多 长 时间</em> 洗 车 <em>一 次</em></li>
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*我们 公司 <em>一 周</em> 开 <em>一 次</em> 会 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen gōngsī <em>yī zhōu</em> kāi <em>yī cì</em> huì.</span><span class="trans">Our company holds one meeting per week.</span>
<li class="o">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> <em>一 次</em> 车?</li>
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*我 <em>两 个 月</em> 剪 <em>一 次</em> 头发 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>liǎng gè yuè</em> jiǎn <em>yī cì</em> tóufa.</span><span class="trans">I cut my hair every two months.</span>
</ul>
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*我 的 手机 <em>两 天</em> <em>一 次</em> 电 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ de shǒujī <em>liǎng tiān</em> chōng <em>yī cì</em> diàn.</span><span class="trans">I charge my phone every two days.</span>
 +
*这 种 药 <em>四 个 小时</em> 吃 <em>一 次</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhè zhǒng yào <em>sì gè xiǎoshí</em> chī <em>yī cì</em>.</span><span class="trans">Take this medicine every four hours.</span>
 +
*应该  <em>半 年</em> <em>一 次</em> 体检 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ yīnggāi <em>bàn nián</em> zuò <em>yī cì</em> tǐjiǎn.</span><span class="trans">You should have a physical examination every half year.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== Making a Statement about Frequency ==
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== When NOT to Use This Pattern ==
  
=== Structure ===
+
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:
  
<div class="jiegou">
+
<div class="liju">
  
Subj. + [Length of Time] + Verb + [How Many Times] (+ Obj.)
+
<ul>
 +
<li class="q">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 换 <em>一 个</em> 手机 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> huàn <em>yī gè</em> shǒujī?</span><span class="trans">How often do you buy a new cell phone?</span></li>
 +
<li class="q">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 加 <em>一 次</em> 班 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> jiā <em>yī cì</em> bān?</span><span class="trans">How often do you work overtime?</span></li>
 +
<li class="q">你 <em>多 长 时间</em> 吃 <em>一 次</em> 牛油果 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>duō cháng shíjiān</em> chī <em>yī cì</em> niúyóuguǒ?</span><span class="trans">How often do you eat avocado?</span></li>
 +
</ul>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
=== Examples ===
+
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.
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 我 <em>一周</em> 给 妈妈 打 两 个 电话。<span class="trans">I give mom a call twice a week. </span>
+
<ul>
* 老板 <em>一个月</em> 出 一 次 差。<span class="trans">The boss goes on business trip once a month. </span>
+
<li class="o">你 <strong>经常</strong> 换 手机 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>jīngcháng</em> huàn shǒujī ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you often buy a new cell phone?</span></li>
* 她 <em>一天</em> 要 说 几 百 遍 “谢谢”。<span class="trans">She says "thank you" a few hundred times a day. </span>
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<li class="o">你 <strong>经常</strong> 加班 吗 ?<span class="pinyin"><em>jīngcháng</em> jiābān ma?</span><span class="trans">Do you often work late?</span></li>
* 他们 <em>一年</em> 搬 一 次 家。<span class="trans">They move once a year. </span>
+
<li class="o">你 <strong>很 少</strong> 吃 牛油果 吧 ?<span class="pinyin"><em>hěnshǎo</em> chī niúyóuguǒ ba?</span><span class="trans">You rarely eat avocado, right?</span></li>
* 我 的 前男友 <em>一 年</em> 换 一 个 女朋友。<span class="trans">My ex-boyfriend has a new girlfriend every year. </span>
+
</ul>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
 +
 +
== See also ==
 +
 +
*[[Pronoun "mei" for "every"]]
 +
*[[Expressing "every time" with "mei" and "dou"]]
 +
 +
== Sources and  further reading ==
 +
 +
=== Books ===
 +
 +
[[Category:B1 grammar points]]
 +
{{HSK|HSK0}}
 +
{{Basic Grammar|每|B1|Subj. + 多长时间 + Verb + 一次 (+ Obj.)|你 <em>多长时间</em> 剪 <em>一 次</em> 头发 ?|grammar point|ASGCED31}}
 +
{{Rel char|多长时间}}
 +
{{Similar|Pronoun "mei" for "every"}}
 +
{{Similar|"every time" with "mei" and "dou"}}
 +
{{Used for| Expressing frequency}}
 +
{{Structure|Sentence Patterns}}
 +
{{Subprop|Basic/Simple Sentence Patterns}}
 +
{{Translation|how often}}
 +
{{Translation|times}}

Latest revision as of 08:47, 24 April 2019

Chinese-grammar-wiki-mei2.jpg

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

  • 多 长 时间 踢球 一 次duō cháng shíjiān tīqiú yī cì?
  • 多 长 时间一 次 球 ?duō cháng shíjiānyī cì qiú?How often do you play soccer?
  • 多 长 时间 剪 头发 一 次duō cháng shíjiān jiǎn tóufa yī cì?
  • 多 长 时间一 次 头发 ?duō cháng shíjiān jiǎn yī cì tóufa?How often do you cut your hair?
  • 多 长 时间 刮 胡子 一 次duō cháng shíjiān guā húzi yī cì?
  • 多 长 时间一 次 胡子 ?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

  • 一 周 给 妈妈 打 两 次 电话 。yī zhōu gěi māma dǎ liǎng cì diànhuà.I give mom a call twice a week.
  • 我们 公司 一 周一 次 会 。Wǒmen gōngsī yī zhōu kāi yī cì huì.Our company holds one meeting per week.
  • 两 个 月一 次 头发 。liǎng gè yuè jiǎn yī cì tóufa.I cut my hair every two months.
  • 我 的 手机 两 天一 次 电 。Wǒ de shǒujī liǎng tiān chōng yī cì diàn.I charge my phone every two days.
  • 这 种 药 四 个 小时一 次Zhè zhǒng yào sì gè xiǎoshí chī yī cì.Take this medicine every four hours.
  • 你 应该 半 年一 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:

  • 多 长 时间一 个 手机 ?duō cháng shíjiān huàn yī gè shǒujī?How often do you buy a new cell phone?
  • 多 长 时间一 次 班 ?duō cháng shíjiān jiā yī cì bān?How often do you work overtime?
  • 多 长 时间一 次 牛油果 ?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.

  • 经常 换 手机 吗 ?jīngcháng huàn shǒujī ma?Do you often buy a new cell phone?
  • 经常 加班 吗 ?jīngcháng jiābān ma?Do you often work late?
  • 很 少 吃 牛油果 吧 ?hěnshǎo chī niúyóuguǒ ba?You rarely eat avocado, right?

See also

Sources and further reading

Books