Learn Hardcore French: Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne. - Sometimes, I want to change my daily routine.

The comma marks a pause and sets Parfois apart as a sentence-level adverb.
It’s stylistically standard and recommended, but in informal writing you might occasionally see it left out. With Parfois at the start, you should include the comma in correct written French.

Can I use Quelquefois instead of Parfois? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can:

Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
Quelquefois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.

Both mean Sometimes and are very close in meaning.

Nuances:

Parfois is a bit more common in modern spoken French and sounds slightly more natural.
Quelquefois is perfectly correct but can feel a little more formal or old-fashioned in some contexts.

In everyday speech, Parfois and Des fois are heard very often; Quelquefois is used more in writing or careful speech.

Why is it je veux changer and not je veux de changer?

In French, some verbs are followed directly by an infinitive, and others require a preposition (à, de, etc.).

The verb vouloir (to want) is followed directly by an infinitive, with no preposition:

je veux changer (I want to change)
je veux partir (I want to leave)
je veux apprendre (I want to learn)

So:

✅ Je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
❌ Je veux de changer ma routine quotidienne. (incorrect)

By contrast:

J’essaie de changer (I’m trying to change) – essayer de + infinitive
Je commence à changer (I’m starting to change) – commencer à + infinitive

Could I say je voudrais changer ma routine quotidienne instead? What’s the difference from je veux?

Yes, you can:

Je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
→ Stronger, more direct: I want to change my daily routine.
Je voudrais changer ma routine quotidienne.
→ More polite/soft: I would like to change my daily routine.

Je veux can sound a bit blunt or demanding in some contexts, especially when talking to someone else about what they should do.
When talking about yourself (your own routine), je veux is fine and neutral, but je voudrais adds a softer, more tentative tone: it suggests desire rather than firm decision.

Why is it ma routine and not la routine or mon routine?

French uses possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes) more often than English uses my, especially with personal things like body parts, habits, or routines.
So ma routine (my routine) is completely natural.
Routine is a feminine noun in French: la routine.
Therefore, the correct possessive is ma (feminine singular), not mon (masculine singular).

So:

✅ ma routine (my routine)
✅ la routine (the routine)
❌ mon routine (incorrect, wrong gender)

How do I know that routine is feminine?

Unfortunately, grammatical gender in French is largely arbitrary and must be learned word by word.

Some tips:

Words ending in -tion or -sion are almost always feminine: la nation, la question, la profession, la décision.
Routine ends in -ine, and many -ine nouns are feminine (e.g. la cuisine, la machine, la vitrine), but this is not a perfect rule.

In practice:

Memorize la routine as a unit.
When you learn new vocabulary, try to learn it with its article: la routine, le problème, une voiture, etc.

Why is it routine quotidienne and not quotidienne routine? And why quotidienne (with -ne) and not quotidien?

Adjective position
The default position of most adjectives in French is after the noun:
- une routine quotidienne (a daily routine)
- un problème sérieux (a serious problem)
So routine quotidienne is the normal order. Putting quotidienne before routine would sound strange or poetic.
Adjective agreement
- Noun: routine → feminine singular (la routine)
- Adjective: quotidien must agree in gender and number:
  - masculine singular: quotidien
  - feminine singular: quotidienne
  - masculine plural: quotidiens
  - feminine plural: quotidiennes
Since routine is feminine singular, you need quotidienne:
- ✅ ma routine quotidienne
- ❌ ma routine quotidien (no agreement)

Is there a difference between routine quotidienne and routine de tous les jours?

They are very close in meaning:

ma routine quotidienne
→ my daily routine (a bit more formal or neutral, common in writing)
ma routine de tous les jours
→ my everyday routine or my day-to-day routine (slightly more informal, descriptive)

Both are correct. Quotidienne is a single, compact adjective; de tous les jours is a phrase that feels a bit more conversational.

Can I say Parfois, je veux changer de routine instead? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, and this is very natural:

Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
Literally: Sometimes, I want to change my daily routine (modify it).
Parfois, je veux changer de routine.
Literally: Sometimes, I want to change (to a different) routine.

Subtle nuance:

changer ma routine quotidienne focuses on modifying your existing routine.
changer de routine suggests switching to another routine, possibly a completely different one.

In everyday conversation, both can often be used for the same idea: you’re tired of your current routine and want it to be different.

Where else can I put Parfois in the sentence? Is Je veux parfois changer ma routine quotidienne correct?

Yes, adverbs like Parfois are flexible in French. These are all grammatically correct:

Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne. (emphasis on “sometimes”)
Je veux parfois changer ma routine quotidienne.
Je veux changer parfois ma routine quotidienne. (less common, but possible)

However:

Je veux changer ma routine quotidienne parfois.
is technically possible but sounds a bit clumsy in French; putting Parfois at the very end is not the most natural choice.

The two most natural versions:

Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
Je veux parfois changer ma routine quotidienne.

How do you pronounce Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne? Is the s in Parfois silent?

Pronunciation (approximate):

Parfois → [par-fwa]
- r is the French guttural r at the back of the throat.
- s at the end is silent here: [par-fwa], not [par-fwas].
je → [ʒə] (like “zhuh”)
veux → [vø]
- similar to feu [fø], no English equivalent; it’s a rounded eu sound.
changer → [ʃɑ̃-ʒe]
- ch = [ʃ], like English “sh” in “shy”
- an = nasal [ɑ̃]
- ger = [ʒe], like “zhay”
ma → [ma] (easy, like “mah”)
routine → [ʁu-tin]
- stress is flat (French doesn’t stress like English ROU-tine)
- final e is usually silent in normal speech.
quotidienne → [ko-ti-djɛn]
- qu = [k]
- ti = [ti]
- dienne = [djɛn], similar to “dyen” in “Indian” (but shorter).

No liaison is normally made between Parfois and je; you say:

[par-fwa | ʒə vø ʃɑ̃-ʒe ma ʁu-tin ko-ti-djɛn]

Could I say Souvent, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne instead of Parfois? How does that change the meaning?

Yes, but the frequency changes:

Parfois, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
→ Sometimes I want to change my daily routine. (occasional)
Souvent, je veux changer ma routine quotidienne.
→ Often I want to change my daily routine. (more frequent)

Both are grammatically correct; you simply choose the adverb that matches how often you feel this way.