Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ píngshí hěnshǎo qù gōngyuán.

我很少平时去公园。 – unnatural; 平时 should modify the whole action, not sit between 很少 and 去.
我平时去公园很少。 – sounds odd; this structure is not how frequency is usually expressed.

So the most natural are:

我平时很少去公园。 (very common, neutral)
平时我很少去公园。 (slight emphasis on “normally”)

What exactly does 平时 (píngshí) mean here? Is it the same as “usually” in English, and how is it different from 通常 / 一般?

平时 literally means “ordinary times”, and as an adverbial it means something like:

“normally”
“in general”
“when it’s not a special occasion”

Nuance compared to similar words:

平时 – focuses on “ordinary / non-special times”. Often used when contrasting with holidays, weekends, special events, emergencies, etc.
- 我平时很少去公园。 = In my normal day-to-day life, I rarely go to the park.
通常 – “usually, typically”. Slightly more formal or neutral, less emotional.
- 我通常不去公园。 = As a general rule, I don’t go to the park.
一般 – very flexible word. Here, 一般 as an adverb can mean “generally / normally”, but it also has other meanings like “ordinary, not special, just so-so.”
- 我一般不去公园。 = Generally, I don’t go to the park.

In most everyday contexts, 平时 / 通常 / 一般 can all introduce a “general habit”, but:

平时 slightly highlights “ordinary times”.
通常 sounds more factual/statistical.
一般 is very common in spoken Chinese and a bit looser in meaning.

Why do we say 很少 instead of just 少? Does 很 really mean “very” here, and can I say 我平时少去公园?

很少 is a set expression meaning “rarely / seldom”.

About 很
- Literally, 很少 is “very few / very little”, but as a frequency adverb it’s best understood as one unit: “rarely”.
- In modern Mandarin, single-syllable adjectives often take 很 in this kind of position, partly for grammar/fluency, not always for strong emphasis.
Can we drop 很?
- 我平时少去公园。 is grammatically possible, but it sounds either:
  - like a suggestion/command: “I should go to the park less” (when said to yourself or others in context), or
  - more marked/contrastive in tone.
- As a neutral description of your habit, native speakers overwhelmingly say 很少去, not 少去, for frequency.

So in this sentence, keep 很少 together and think of it as the natural way to say “rarely”.

What is the difference between 很少, 不常, and 不怎么 in sentences like this?

All three can describe low frequency, but with slightly different feels.

很少 – “rarely, seldom”
- Stronger, feels like “almost never / very rarely”.
- 我平时很少去公园。
  → I rarely go to the park.
不常 – “not often”
- A bit weaker than 很少.
- 我平时不常去公园。
  → I don’t go to the park very often. (Maybe sometimes, but not frequently.)
不怎么 – “not really / not much”
- Slightly more colloquial; often carries a soft, understated tone.
- 我平时不怎么去公园。
  → I don’t really go to the park (much).

Very roughly, from strongest to weakest “low frequency” feeling:

很少 (strongest) > 不怎么 ≈ 不常 (more middle/light)

Why do we need 去 before 公园? Could we just say 我平时很少公园 or 我平时很少在公园?

You need a verb; 公园 by itself is just a noun (“park”).

我平时很少去公园。
- 去 = “to go”
- Means “I rarely go to the park.”
我平时很少公园。
- Incorrect: there is no verb; Chinese doesn’t allow you to drop the motion verb the way English sometimes does with places.
我平时很少在公园。
- Unnatural / incomplete, because 在公园 is a location phrase; you usually need something you do there:
- More natural:
  - 我平时很少在公园玩。 – I rarely play/hang out in the park.
  - 我平时很少在公园散步。 – I rarely take walks in the park.

So if you want to say “go to the park”, you need 去公园.

Why is there no 了 or 过? How do we know if this is talking about the past, present, or general habit?

This sentence describes a habitual/general fact, not a specific event or time period. In Mandarin:

Habitual or general statements usually use bare verbs (no 了, no 过):
- 我平时很少去公园。
  → In general / as a rule, I rarely go to the park.

If you add aspect markers, the meaning changes:

我以前很少去公园。 – I used to rarely go to the park. (Past time word 以前 gives the time frame.)
我很少去过公园。 – Feels awkward; 去过公园 suggests “have ever been to a park (at least once)”, which clashes a bit with “very rarely”. More natural would be:
- 我很少去公园玩。 – I rarely go to the park to hang out.

So: no aspect marker here because it’s about your typical behavior, not one specific experience.

Why don’t we need a measure word before 公园? When would we say 一个公园 instead?

In 我平时很少去公园, 公园 is a place you go to in general, not a counted item:

No article (a/the) is needed in Chinese.
No measure word is needed when you talk about a place in a general sense:
- 去学校 – go to school
- 去超市 – go to the supermarket
- 去公园 – go to the park

You would use a measure word like 一个 when you focus on number or selection:

我家附近有一个公园。 – There is one park near my home.
我们找一个公园散步吧。 – Let’s find a park to take a walk in.

So:

去公园 – go (to) parks / the park (in general, as a type of place)
去一个公园 – go to one specific park (counting or emphasizing it as one among others)

Could we say 平时我很少去公园 instead of 我平时很少去公园? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say both, and both are natural.

我平时很少去公园。
- The usual, very neutral word order.
- Subject first, then the time word.
平时我很少去公园。
- Also common. Slightly more emphasis on 平时 (“as for normal times / generally…”).
- It can sound a bit more like setting the scene: “Generally speaking, I rarely go to the park.”

The difference is subtle and mostly about information focus, not grammar correctness. Both are fine in everyday speech.

What is the difference between 我平时很少去公园 and 我平时不去公园?

Both are negative, but the strength and nuance differ:

我平时很少去公园。
- “I rarely go to the park.”
- Suggests you occasionally go, just not often. Frequency is very low but not zero.
我平时不去公园。
- “I (normally) don’t go to the park.”
- Sounds closer to “I basically don’t go / I don’t go at all.”
- Still not an absolute logical “never”, but much stronger than 很少; it feels like you generally avoid it.

So:

很少 = low frequency, but it does happen.
不去 (in this structure) = as a rule, you don’t go; if you ever do, it’s an exception.

How can I use this sentence pattern to say similar things, like “I often go to the park” or “I almost never go to the park”?

You can keep the same basic structure:

Subject + 平时 + frequency word + 去 + place

Some useful frequency words:

总是 – always
经常 – often
常常 – often
有时 / 有时候 – sometimes
很少 – rarely
几乎不 / 几乎从不 – almost never

Examples:

我平时经常去公园。 – I often go to the park.
我平时有时候去公园。 – I sometimes go to the park.
我平时几乎不去公园。 – I almost never go to the park.
我平时几乎从不去公园。 – I practically never go to the park.

This keeps the same grammar as 我平时很少去公园, just swapping the frequency expression.