Sometimes or again? Mastering time expressions in Spanish

Have you ever found yourself freezing mid-sentence trying to remember how to say "sometimes" or "again" in Spanish? 🤔 You are definitely not alone! Because the English word times changes its meaning depending on whether it is singular or plural, many British learners get their wires crossed when translating these expressions. 🇬🇧🏼🇪🇸

This guide clears up the confusion between a veces and otra vez, and breaks down other essential frequency words like always and often so you can stop translating literally and start speaking naturally. 🎉

How would you say "sometimes" in Spanish? 🤷‍♂️

What is another way to say "occasionally" in Spanish? 🗓️ 

Does otra vez mean "again" in Spanish? 🔄

How to say "always" and "often" in Spanish 📊 

How would you say "sometimes" in Spanish? 🤷‍♂️  

Is a veces the most common, direct and versatiles way to say sometimes? Yes, 100%! ✅It is your absolute safe bet because it can sit comfortably at the beginning, the middle, or the very end of a sentence without changing the meaning at all. If you only want to memorize one word today, make it this one! 🏆

Sometimes I study Spanish in the morning

I go to the gym sometimes 

What is another way to say "occasionally" in Spanish? 🗓️ 

If you are tired of saying a veces three times in the same conversation and want to sound more like a local, you need synonyms! The most natural alternative for native speakers is de vez en cuando, which translates closely to "from time to time" or "once in a while".

I go to the beach from time to time—only when I have a free weekend 

💡Note: keep an eye on that word vez (time/instance). It is the building block for most time expressions in Spanish, but it is also the reason behind the most common mistake English speakers make! We will look into this in depth in the very next section. 👁️ Keep reading!

For more formal contexts, or if you want to sound slightly more sophisticated, you can use ocasionalmente (occasionally).

The company organises charity events occasionally  

Does otra vez mean "again" in Spanish? 🔄 

The literal translation of otra vez is "another time", but in practice, it is the standard, everyday way to say "again" in Spanish.

This is where the British brain usually plays tricks on us! 🧠 Because sometimes has the word "times" in it, learners frequently swap a veces and otra vez by mistake. To master this, you just need to understand how the word vez (plural: veces) works as a counter in Spanish.

Unlike English, which uses completely different words for the first few repetitions (once, twice), Spanish is beautifully logical and consistent:

    Otra vez → again (literally: "another time")

So, when you want to say "again", just think of it as adding one more "time" to the counter!

🔄 Use otra vez (again) when an action is a repetition:

Can you say it again?

🔀 Use a veces (sometimes) when an action happens intermittently:

Sometimes I forget my keys

How to say "always" and "often" in Spanish 📊 

To talk about your habits properly, you need to map out the rest of the frequency scale:

Always in Spanish ♾️ 

The word for "always" is siempre. Just like in English, it usually sits right before the main verb of the sentence.

I always have toast for breakfast 

Often in Spanish 🔄

The most natural option is the adverbial phrase a menudo. Alternatively, you can use frecuentemente (frequently), though it sounds a bit more like a newspaper article than a real conversation.

We travel to London often 

Never in Spanish 🛑

To say "never", the word you need is nunca. But watch out! Spanish loves a good double negative. If nunca goes after the verb, you must add a no before it:

I never eat meat