adv.
sometimes
有时
Common Usage & Traps
- 有时会 — sometimes will/can do something
- 有时候 — sometimes (casual speech)
- 有时去 — sometimes go
- 有时很 — sometimes very (with an adjective)
-
我去游泳有时我有时去游泳有时 must go before the action, not after the thing you do.
-
有时常常去游泳有时去游泳 or 常常去游泳有时 and 常常 are different frequency levels; stacking them fights itself.
What's the difference between 有时 and 有时候?
Same meaning; 有时候 is the everyday spoken version, 有时 is shorter and more written.
Both mean sometimes, but they live in different registers. 有时候 is what you say in casual speech to friends or coworkers. 有时 is shorter and shows up more in writing, news, or careful speech. Using 有时 in a WeChat message is not wrong, just slightly formal. Using 有时候 in an essay is not wrong, just a bit chatty.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Casual speech | 有时候 | 有时 (not wrong, just stiff) |
| Writing | 有时 | 有时候 (too chatty for formal) |
| Meaning | Both mean sometimes | Treating them as different meanings |
Where does 有时 go in a sentence?
Put 有时 before the action, or at the start; never after the thing you do.
Place 有时 before the action, or at the very start of the sentence. It cannot sit after the action or after the thing you do. 我有时去游泳 is natural, and 有时我去游泳 is also fine. 我去游泳有时 sounds like you tacked the word on after you finished the thought. If you add 会, keep the same order: 我有时会去游泳.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Before action | 我有时去游泳 | 我去游泳有时 |
| Sentence start | 有时我去游泳 | 去游泳有时我 |
| With 会 | 我有时会去游泳 | 我会去游泳有时 |
Do you need 会 after 有时?
No, 会 is optional; it adds a 'this can happen sometimes' feel.
会 is not required after 有时. 我有时去游泳 and 我有时会去游泳 both sound fine. Adding 会 often gives a gentle 'this can happen sometimes' or future-habit feel. It does not mean you are definitely going to swim. Use it when the occasional action feels possible or likely, not as a hard rule. “我有时会去游泳。” (Sometimes I go swimming.) ── [《你喜欢看老电影吗？》](/read/do-you-like-old-movies#s10)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Plain occasional habit | 我有时去游泳 | Thinking 会 is required |
| With 会 | 我有时会去游泳 | Thinking 会 means 'can' only |
| Future-habit feel | 我有时会去游泳 | Using 会 for a one-time past event |
What's the difference between 有时 and 常常?
有时 means sometimes, 常常 means often; they are not the same frequency.
有时 and 常常 are different frequency levels, not style variants. 有时 means sometimes, maybe once in a while. 常常 means often, with many repeated times. You can say 我有时去游泳, and you can say 我常常去游泳. But 我有时常常去游泳 is a frequency train wreck. Pick one.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Sometimes | 有时 | 常常 |
| Often | 常常 | 有时 |
| Stacking | 有时去 or 常常去 | 有时常常去 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
- Scene #1
我 有时 会去游泳。
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