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<title>Expressing "how often"</title>
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<h1>Expressing "how often"
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<p>Asking "how often" is one of those things that seems so simple in English but relatively complicated in Chinese. The way to ask in Chinese is, literally, "how long of a time" (do something) "one time." So you'll need the phrases 多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān) and 一次 (yī cì).
</p>
<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Asking about Frequency </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Talking about Frequency in General </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 When NOT to use this pattern </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5.1 Books</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h2>Asking about Frequency</h2>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + 多长时间 + Verb + 一次 (+ Obj.)</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 的 手机 多 长 时间 充电 一 次 ？
Nǐ de shǒujī duō cháng shíjiān chōngdiàn yī cì? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 的 手机 多 长 时间 充 一 次 电 ？
Nǐ de shǒujī duō cháng shíjiān chōng yī cì diàn?
How often do you charge your phone? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 剪 头发 一 次 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān jiǎn tóufa yī cì? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 剪 一 次 头发 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān jiǎn yī cì tóufa?
How often do you cut your hair? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 刮 胡子 一 次 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān guā húzi yī cì? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 刮 一 次 胡子 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān guā yī cì húzi?
How often do you shave?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Talking about Frequency in General</h2>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Subj. + [Length of Time] + Verb + Times (+ Obj.)</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 一 周 给 妈妈 打 两 次 电话 。
Wǒ yī zhōu gěi māma dǎ liǎng cì diànhuà.
I give mom a call twice a week. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 公司 一 周 开 一 次 会 。
Wǒmen gōngsī yī zhōu kāi yī cì huì.
Our company holds one meeting per week. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 两 个 月 剪 一 次 头发 。
Wǒ liǎng gè yuè jiǎn yī cì tóufa.
I cut my hair every two months. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 的 手机 两 天 充 一 次 电 。
Wǒ de shǒujī liǎng tiān chōng yī cì diàn.
I charge my phone every two days. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">这 种 药 四 个 小时 吃 一 次 。
Zhè zhǒng yào sì gè xiǎoshí chī yī cì.
Take this medicine every four hours. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 应该 半 年 做 一 次 体检 。
Nǐ yīnggāi bàn nián zuò yī cì tǐjiǎn.
You should have a physical examination every half of a year.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>When NOT to use this pattern</h2>

<p>The thing about using the pattern above is that it's expected that the activity is done regularly, as part of a habit. If it's not an activity that's regularly engaged in, it's weird to use the pattern. Consider the following examples:</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 换 一 个 手机 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān huàn yī gè shǒujī?
How often do you buy a new cell phone? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 加 一 次 班 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān jiā yī cì bān?
How often do you work overtime? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 多 长 时间 吃 一 次 牛油果 ？
Nǐ duō cháng shíjiān chī yī cì niúyóuguǒ?
How often do you eat avocado?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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<p>In these cases, the speaker is trying to get any idea of how often the other person does something, regardless of how regular or habitual it is. In this case, just use 经常 (or similar) to ask about it.</p>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 经常 换 手机 吗 ？
Nǐ jīngcháng huàn shǒujī ma?
Do you often buy a new cell phone? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 经常 加班 吗 ？
Nǐ jīngcháng jiābān ma?
Do you often work late? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">你 很 少 吃 牛油果 吧 ？
Nǐ hěnshǎo chī niúyóuguǒ ba?
You rarely eat avocado, right?</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>See also
</h3>
<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Pronoun "mei" for "every" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Expressing "every time" with "mei" and "dou"</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Sources and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books</h4>
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