Say how often you do something without assigning invented percentages to frequency words. Practise common expressions and the negatives used with あまり and 全然.
Learn a scale, not fixed percentages
いつも means always or habitually, よく often, and ときどき sometimes. Their exact frequency depends on the activity and context. “Often travelling abroad” does not imply the same number of events as “often drinking tea.”
In ordinary beginner sentences, あまり combines with a negative predicate to mean not very much or not often: あまりテレビを見ません. 全然 with a negative can mean not at all. Affirmative uses of 全然 occur in real conversation, but these exercises explicitly practise its negative pattern.
Separate frequency from a counted schedule
週に三回 gives a count: three times a week. It is more precise than よく. If a timetable matters, use a count or actual days rather than expecting a frequency adverb to specify a schedule.
Examples to read before you practise
Japanese | Reading / English |
|---|---|
いつも | always / habitually |
よく | often |
ときどき | sometimes |
あまり～ない | not much / not often |
全然～ない | ぜんぜん — not at all |
毎朝 | まいあさ — every morning |
週に三回 | しゅうにさんかい — three times a week |
ときどき映画を見ます。 | I sometimes watch films. |
Try six questions
Try these self-check questions from memory, then compare your answers with the explanations. For automatic checking and saved progress, open the related practice after this article.
Type sometimes using the word in the table.
Type often using the word よく.
あまりテレビを（ ）。 Use polite negative of 見る.
全然肉を（ ）。 Use polite negative of 食べる.
Three times a week: 週（ ）三回
Type every morning in Japanese.
Answer key and explanations
ときどき / 時々 — ときどき describes occasional frequency.
よく — よく is often, without a fixed numerical percentage.
見ません / みません — あまり uses a negative in this pattern.
食べません / たべません — The negative gives not at all here.
に — に connects the period to the count.
毎朝 / まいあさ — 毎朝 names a daily morning routine.
Keep learning
Related lessons
Try what you have just read
Recognise the pattern, write an answer from memory, then use it in a short reading. Your existing progress carries over.
Open the three-step lessonSources
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