This is a beginner drill for the words that say how often you do something: altijd (always), vaak (often), soms (sometimes), nooit (never), and a few in between. These are some of the most useful words in the language — you'll use them to describe your routine, your habits, your likes — and the patterns are simple. Two things to nail: where these words go in the sentence (the answer is "in the middle, right after the verb"), and the fact that nooit already means "never" all by itself — you never add an extra "not."
For the wider vocabulary of when and how often, see Time and Frequency Expressions. For counting occurrences (één keer per week), see Frequency, Sequence and Repetition.
The frequency scale
Line the words up from "all the time" down to "never" and you have a ready-made scale:
| Dutch | English | Roughly how often |
|---|---|---|
| altijd | always | 100% |
| meestal | usually, mostly | ~80% |
| vaak | often | ~70% |
| soms | sometimes | ~40% |
| zelden | rarely, seldom | ~10% |
| nooit | never | 0% |
Ik drink altijd koffie bij het ontbijt.
I always drink coffee at breakfast. 'altijd' = always.
Ze is meestal rond zes uur thuis.
She's usually home around six. 'meestal' = usually.
We gaan vaak in het weekend naar het strand.
We often go to the beach at the weekend. 'vaak' = often.
Ik ga soms naar de bioscoop.
I sometimes go to the cinema. 'soms' = sometimes.
Where they go: in the middle, after the verb
In a plain statement, the frequency adverb sits right after the verb, in the middle of the sentence — not at the very end the way English often allows ("I drink coffee always" sounds odd; Dutch puts the word in the middle). The everyday pattern is:
Subject + verb + frequency adverb + the rest.
Ik eet 's ochtends altijd een boterham.
I always eat a sandwich in the morning. Pattern: Ik (subject) + eet (verb) + altijd (frequency) + rest.
Hij komt nooit te laat op zijn werk.
He's never late for work. 'komt' + 'nooit' — frequency word straight after the verb.
Wij praten vaak Nederlands met de buren.
We often speak Dutch with the neighbours. Verb 'praten' + frequency 'vaak'.
If you start the sentence with the frequency word for emphasis, Dutch flips the subject and verb (this is the V2 rule). So Soms ga ik naar de bioscoop — the verb ga comes before the subject ik. Both orders are correct; the middle position is the everyday default.
Soms ga ik naar de bioscoop.
Sometimes I go to the cinema. Frequency word first → verb 'ga' before subject 'ik' (inversion).
Nooit means "never" by itself — no extra niet
Here is the one real trap, and it's worth its own section. English speakers, especially those who've studied other languages, sometimes want to add a second negative — "I don't never smoke." In standard Dutch that's wrong. Nooit already carries the whole negation: it means "never," "at no time." You do not add niet on top of it. Ik rook nooit is complete and correct.
Ik rook nooit.
I never smoke. 'nooit' alone = never. No 'niet' anywhere.
Hij helpt nooit met de afwas.
He never helps with the dishes. 'nooit' is the only negative word needed.
Ze is nog nooit in Parijs geweest.
She's never been to Paris. 'nog nooit' = 'never yet' — still no 'niet'.
The same applies to zelden ("rarely"): it's already a negative-leaning word, so you don't pile niet on it either. Ik ga zelden uit ("I rarely go out") is complete. The rule is simple: one negative word per idea. Nooit and zelden are that word; adding niet makes a double negative that Dutch grammar rejects.
Exact frequency: elke dag, één keer per week
Besides the vague words, you'll often want to give an exact rate. Two everyday patterns cover most of it:
- elke / iedere + time unit — "every…": elke dag (every day), elke week (every week), iedere ochtend (every morning).
- count + keer + per + period — "X times a …": één keer per week (once a week), twee keer per dag (twice a day), drie keer per maand (three times a month).
Ik sport drie keer per week.
I exercise three times a week. Pattern: count + keer + per + period.
Hij belt zijn moeder elke zondag.
He calls his mother every Sunday. 'elke zondag' = every Sunday.
We eten één keer per week buiten de deur.
We eat out once a week. 'één keer per week' = once a week.
Note that keer stays singular after a number — twee keer, never twee keren — and per takes the bare period with no article: per week, not per een week. These exact phrases usually go at the end of the sentence or up front, not in the tight middle slot the single-word adverbs prefer.
Putting it together
's Ochtends drink ik altijd thee, maar 's avonds nooit.
In the morning I always drink tea, but never in the evening. 'altijd' and 'nooit' both in the middle slot.
Mijn opa wandelt elke dag, ook als het regent.
My grandpa goes for a walk every day, even when it rains. 'elke dag' = every day.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik rook niet nooit.
Double negative — 'nooit' already means 'never'. Don't add 'niet'.
✅ Ik rook nooit.
I never smoke.
❌ Ik drink koffie altijd.
Word order — frequency words go in the middle, right after the verb, not at the very end: 'Ik drink altijd koffie'.
✅ Ik drink altijd koffie.
I always drink coffee.
❌ Soms ik ga naar de bioscoop.
Wrong — starting with 'soms' triggers inversion: the verb comes before the subject: 'Soms ga ik...'.
✅ Soms ga ik naar de bioscoop.
Sometimes I go to the cinema.
❌ Ik sport drie keren per week.
Wrong — 'keer' stays singular after a number: 'drie keer', not 'keren'.
✅ Ik sport drie keer per week.
I exercise three times a week.
❌ een keer per een week
Wrong — 'per' takes the bare period with no article: 'per week'.
✅ één keer per week
once a week.
Key Takeaways
- The scale: altijd (always) → meestal (usually) → vaak (often) → soms (sometimes) → zelden (rarely) → nooit (never).
- Frequency words go in the middle, right after the verb: Ik drink altijd koffie. Move them to the front for emphasis and the verb jumps before the subject.
- nooit (and zelden) already negate — never add niet. One negative word per idea.
- Exact rates: elke dag (every day) and count + keer + per + period (één keer per week); keer stays singular and per takes no article.
Now practice Dutch
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Time Adverbs: Nu, Straks, Toen, Altijd, NooitA1 — The everyday Dutch time adverbs — nu (now), straks/zo (in a moment), dan vs toen (then, non-past vs past-only), the frequency set altijd/vaak/meestal/soms/nooit, and the calendar words gisteren/vandaag/morgen/overmorgen. Covers the toen–dan split that trips up every English speaker, the inversion a fronted time adverb forces, and why Dutch puts time before manner and place.
- Time and Frequency ExpressionsA2 — How Dutch packages time and frequency into fixed phrases that don't translate word for word: 'af en toe' (now and then), 'om de haverklap' (at every turn), 'op het nippertje' (in the nick of time), 'voor dag en dauw' (at the crack of dawn), 'de klok rond' (around the clock), plus the everyday frequency adverbs altijd/vaak/soms/nooit and how to place them in the sentence.
- Cardinal Numbers 0–100 and BeyondA1 — The full Dutch cardinal number system — 0–20, the units-before-tens reversal for 21–99 written as one solid word, and honderd, duizend, miljoen, miljard for big numbers.
- Dutch Adverbs: OverviewA2 — The big picture for the Adverbs group: the main types (manner, time, place, degree, and sentence/modal adverbs); the headline fact that Dutch adverbs never inflect — no -e ending, unlike attributive adjectives; that the plain adjective IS the manner adverb (no -ly to add); and the time–manner–place ordering, which is the exact reverse of English's manner–place–time.
- Where to Put NietB1 — The sentence negator niet travels as far right as it can — after definite objects, time phrases, and pronouns, but stopping just before the closing verb and before predicate, place, and prepositional complements.