Breakdown of A menudo entreno en el gimnasio.
en
in / on / at
el gimnasio
gym
a menudo
often
entrenar
to train
Questions & Answers about A menudo entreno en el gimnasio.
Can I put a menudo somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! Adverbs of frequency like a menudo are quite flexible in Spanish. You can place it at the beginning (A menudo entreno en el gimnasio), directly after the verb (Entreno a menudo en el gimnasio), or at the end of the sentence. Putting it at the beginning just adds a little more focus on the frequency.
What does the phrase a menudo actually mean word-for-word?
It translates perfectly to 'often', but literally the word menudo means 'small' or 'slight'. Over time, the idea of doing things in 'small, frequent' intervals gave us the phrase a menudo to mean doing something frequently.
Why use en instead of a for 'at the gym'?
In English, we say 'at the gym'. In Spanish, the preposition en is the standard word for 'in', 'on', or 'at' when you are talking about being located somewhere. You would only use a (to) if you were traveling toward the gym, like Voy al gimnasio (I am going to the gym). Since you are already inside training, you use en.
Where would the word yo (I) go if I wanted to include it?