uvijek ponekad nikad

Always, Sometimes, Never

Level 2

Frequency words answer the question Koliko često? (How often?)

How It Works

Frequency words are short and easy to place. Put them before the verb, or after it if you want to stress them.

WordMeaning
uvijekalways
običnousually
čestooften
ponekadsometimes
rijetkorarely
nikadnever

Examples: Uvijek pijem kafu ujutro. Ponekad idemo u Mostar.

Watch the yat in uvijek and rijetko. In Bosnian they are written with ije, never with the Ekavian uvek. The word nikad is a negative word, so the verb needs ne: Nikad ne kasnim. (I am never late.) This is called double negation, and it is correct Bosnian.

To ask how often, use Koliko često ...?

Examples (5)

  1. Uvijek pijem kafu ujutro.

    I always drink coffee in the morning.

    Uvijek goes before the verb.

  2. Ponekad idemo na Trebević.

    Sometimes we go up Trebević.

    Ponekad can also start the sentence.

  3. Selma rijetko kasni.

    Selma is rarely late.

    Rijetko sits before the verb.

  4. Nikad ne jedem burek za doručak.

    I never eat burek for breakfast.

    Nikad needs ne before the verb.

  5. Često čitam vijesti.

    I often read the news.

    Često means often.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving ne out after nikad.

    Nikad kasnim.
    Nikad ne kasnim.

    Nikad is already negative, but Bosnian still wants ne before the verb.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

uvijek ponekad nikadLevel 2Always, Sometimes, Never

Learn This First

Frequency adverbs are used with present verbs.

Words in This Pattern

uvijekponekadnikadobičnočestorijetko