How do I say 'often'?
The standard 'often' — correct in both speech and writing, all contexts.
经常
Often / frequently.
Frequently / regularly.
Often / frequently.
WHEN IT FITS
Chinese frequency words form a gradient from never to always, with important distinctions in between:
- 从不 — never (absolute). Stronger than English “never.”
- 偶尔 — occasionally. A few times, not regular.
- 时不时 — from time to time. More than 偶尔, less than 经常.
- 经常 / 常常 — often. The two are near-interchangeable; 常常 feels slightly more colloquial.
- 总是 — always (neutral). Describes consistent behavior without judgment.
- 老 — always (complaint). The same behavior described with irritation.
The 经常/常常 choice: both mean “often” and are correct everywhere. 经常 is slightly more standard/written; 常常 is slightly more conversational/warm. The difference is fine enough that either works in almost any sentence.
The position rule: frequency adverbs go before the verb, typically after the subject. 我经常运动 (I often exercise), not 我运动经常. This subject-frequency-verb order is the standard Chinese pattern for all frequency words.
The complaint use of 老 is culturally revealing — Chinese has a dedicated grammatical form for “this keeps happening and I’m annoyed about it.” It is the frequency equivalent of the English “always” said with an eye-roll.
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT
我经常去那家咖啡馆。
I often go to that coffee shop.
Describing a habit他经常加班到很晚。
He often works overtime until very late.
Describing frequent behaviorCHOOSE BY SITUATION
常常
Often (colloquial).
Slightly more conversational than 经常 — the doubled form feels lighter时不时
From time to time / now and then.
Less frequent than 经常 — occasional rather than regular老
Always (complaint).
Describing an annoying recurring behavior — 他老迟到 = He's always late (and it bothers me)