ít khi

Rarely

Level 2

Use ít khi before a verb to say that you rarely or seldom do something.

How It Works

In Vietnamese, ít khi is the most common and neutral way to say 'rarely' or 'seldom'. It can be used in any situation, from casual conversations to formal writing.

1. Placement
Unlike English, where words like 'rarely' can sometimes float around the sentence, ít khi has two main positions. It usually goes directly before the main verb, verb phrase, or adjective (since adjectives function as verbs in Vietnamese):

  • Subject + ít khi + Verb / Adjective (e.g., Trời ít khi lạnh - It is rarely cold)

Alternatively, it can be placed at the very beginning of the sentence to frame the statement or add emphasis. When used this way, native speakers frequently pair it with mới before the verb:

  • Ít khi + Subject + (mới) + Verb

However, you cannot put ít khi at the end of the sentence.

2. Interaction with Tense Markers
When using tense or aspect markers like đã (past) or sẽ (future), the marker usually comes before the frequency adverb:

  • Subject + đã/sẽ + ít khi + Verb

3. Dropping 'khi'
In colloquial speech, native speakers frequently drop the word khi and just use ít directly before the verb to mean the exact same thing (e.g., tôi ít uống bia = I rarely drink beer).

4. Frequency vs. Quantity
Learners often confuse frequency (how often) with quantity (how much). Pay attention to the word order:

  • ít (khi) + Verb = rarely does the action (Frequency)
  • Verb + ít + Noun = does a small amount of the action (Quantity)

For example, tôi ít khi uống bia (or tôi ít uống bia) means you rarely drink beer, whereas tôi uống ít bia means you drink a small volume of beer.

5. Nuance and Emphasis
Ít khi is completely neutral. If you want to emphasize just how rare the action is, you can use the highly common emphatic variant ít khi nào (hardly ever / very rarely). You can also add rất (very) before it to make rất ít khi, or add lắm (very) at the end of the sentence (e.g., Tôi ít khi đi nhậu lắm - I very rarely go drinking). You might also encounter the word hiếm khi, which is slightly stronger and translates closer to 'hardly ever'.

6. Standalone Answer
In casual conversation, ít khi is frequently used as a standalone short answer to Yes/No or frequency questions. For example, if someone asks 'Bạn có hay đi nhậu không?' (Do you often go drinking?), you can simply reply 'Ít khi.' (Rarely.).

Examples (4)

  1. Anh ấy ít khi đến muộn.

    He seldom arrives late.

    Word by Word: He few time arrive late.

    Notice how ít khi sits directly before the verb phrase đến muộn.

  2. Chúng tôi ít khi gặp nhau.

    We rarely meet each other.

    Word by Word: We few time meet each other.

    A standard, neutral statement of low frequency.

  3. Tôi ít khi thức khuya lắm.

    I rarely stay up late.

    Word by Word: I few time stay awake late very.

    The word lắm (very) is often added at the end of the sentence in spoken Vietnamese to emphasize the rarity of the action.

  4. Ít khi trời mưa vào tháng này.

    It rarely rains during this month.

    Word by Word: Few time sky rain enter month this.

    Ít khi can occasionally be placed at the absolute beginning of a sentence to emphasize the topic.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ít khi at the end of the sentence.

    Tôi xem ti vi ít khi.
    Tôi ít khi xem ti vi.

    Because English allows frequency adverbs at the end of a clause ('I watch television rarely'), learners often try to do the same in Vietnamese. However, ít khi normally goes before the verb.

  • Using 'ít' before the noun when you mean the occasions are rare.

    Different MeaningTôi uống ít bia.
    Tôi ít khi uống bia.

    This sentence is fine, but it means 'I drink only a small amount of beer' (quantity). To say you rarely drink beer (frequency), use ít khi before the verb: 'Tôi ít khi uống bia'.

How It Connects

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

ít khiLevel 2Rarely

Learn This First

To understand 'ít khi' (rarely), learners need to recognize 'khi' as a marker of time or occasion. It also helps to understand the concept of 'ít' (few/little) as the opposite of 'nhiều' (many), and how these modifiers are placed before the verb to describe the frequency of an action.

Words in This Pattern

ít khi