A veces escribo una nota entre paréntesis para no olvidar una excepción.

A veces means sometimes.

It is a fixed expression in Spanish, literally something like at times. That is why veces is plural: vez means time/occasion, and veces means times/occasions.

Examples:

• A veces leo por la noche. = Sometimes I read at night.
• A veces no entiendo. = Sometimes I don’t understand.

Spanish also has a menudo for often, but a veces specifically means sometimes.

Escribo is the first-person singular present tense form of escribir (to write).

So:

• yo escribo = I write

In this sentence, escribo means I write or I do write, depending on context.

A quick pattern:

• escribo = I write
• escribes = you write
• escribe = he/she writes
• escribimos = we write
• escribís = you all write (Spain)
• escriben = they/you all write

Spanish often drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

So:

• Escribo already means I write
• You do not need yo unless you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity

For example:

• A veces escribo una nota... = neutral, natural
• Yo escribo una nota... = more emphasis, like I write a note

This is very normal in Spanish.

Because both nota and excepción are singular feminine nouns.

So they take the feminine singular indefinite article una:

• una nota = a note
• una excepción = an exception

You can usually tell nota is feminine because it ends in -a, although that is not always a guaranteed rule in Spanish.

Excepción is feminine because it belongs to a common feminine noun pattern ending in -ción:

• la excepción
• la canción
• la lección

So:

• una excepción
• la excepción

Entre paréntesis means in parentheses or more literally between parentheses.

It is the standard Spanish expression for saying that something appears inside brackets like ( ).

Examples:

• Escribí una aclaración entre paréntesis. = I wrote a clarification in parentheses.
• Pon tu nombre entre paréntesis. = Put your name in parentheses.

Even though English usually says in parentheses, Spanish normally says entre paréntesis.

Because entre paréntesis is the normal idiomatic expression in Spanish.

Spanish chooses entre (between/among) because the words are literally placed between the two curved marks: ( ... )

So although English says in parentheses, Spanish usually says:

• entre paréntesis

This is something best learned as a set phrase.

Paréntesis is one of those nouns that often has the same form in singular and plural.

So you can have:

• un paréntesis = one parenthesis / a parenthetical pause
• unos paréntesis = parentheses

In the expression entre paréntesis, it is best to treat the whole phrase as fixed vocabulary meaning in parentheses.

For a learner, the important thing is:

• memorize entre paréntesis as a chunk

Para here means in order to or so as to. It introduces the purpose of the action.

So:

• escribo una nota = I write a note
• para no olvidar una excepción = in order not to forget an exception

The structure is:

• para + infinitive
• para no + infinitive for a negative purpose

Examples:

• Estudio para aprender. = I study in order to learn.
• Lo anoto para no perderlo. = I write it down so as not to lose it.

Because when Spanish negates an infinitive, no goes directly before it.

So:

• olvidar = to forget
• no olvidar = not to forget

That is why:

• para no olvidar = in order not to forget

This is very common:

• Intento no llegar tarde. = I try not to arrive late.
• Es mejor no decir nada. = It’s better not to say anything.

Yes, the word order can be flexible.

A veces escribo una nota... is very natural and common. Putting a veces at the beginning sets the time/frequency frame right away: sometimes.

You could also say:

• Escribo una nota a veces...

But that is usually less natural in this exact sentence unless the rhythm or emphasis calls for it.

In general, Spanish often places frequency expressions like a veces, siempre, nunca, a menudo in positions that sound natural rather than strictly fixed positions.

It means a note in parentheses.

The core noun is:

• una nota = a note

Then entre paréntesis describes where or how the note is written:

• a note in parentheses

So the structure is:

• escribo
  • una nota
    • entre paréntesis

You can think of entre paréntesis as giving extra information about nota.

They have written accents because Spanish spelling marks where the stress falls when it does not follow the default rules.

• paréntesis is stressed on té: pa-RÉN-te-sis
• excepción is stressed on the last syllable: ex-cep-CIÓN

The accent mark helps show the correct pronunciation and stress pattern.

This matters because stress can change meaning or simply make the word sound unnatural if placed incorrectly.

In most of Spain, c before e or i is pronounced like the th in thin.

So in Spain:

• veces sounds roughly like VE-thes
• excepción sounds roughly like ek-sep-THYON

In many parts of Latin America, that same c is pronounced like s:

• VE-ses
• ek-sep-SYON

Both are correct for their regions, but for Spanish from Spain, the th sound is the usual reference pronunciation.

Usually just to forget is the best match here.

• olvidar una excepción = to forget an exception

In English, forget about can sometimes sound slightly different, as if you stop thinking about something on purpose or casually. Here the meaning is more straightforward: you do not want to fail to remember the exception.

So to avoid forgetting an exception or so I don’t forget an exception is the clearest idea.

It most naturally describes a habit or something that happens sometimes as a repeated action.

That is because:

• a veces = sometimes
• escribo = present tense

So the overall idea is:

• Sometimes I write a note in parentheses so I don’t forget an exception.

The Spanish present tense often covers habitual actions like English I write / I sometimes write.