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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > How often? How many times?
How often? How many times?
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averitope
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How often? How many times?
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Hi everybody!
One of my students asked me if this question was ok:
How many times do you play tennis? I usually play tennis.
Is it ok to use how many times instead of how often? I have always taught how often as grammatically correct, but I would like to know if how many times is also used. Thanks! |
8 Nov 2010
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renko6
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Hi !
In my opinion if the question starts from :
HOW MANY TIMES ?, you should answer
- ONCE A WEEK , TWICE A DAY , THREE TIMES A MONTH . . . etc
but if you ask :
HOW OFTEN ? - you can answer using the adverbs of frequency like :
I ALWAYS ......, USUALLY, NEVER, SOMETIMES ... etc.
I think that the answer of your student isn�t correct.
Hugs from Poland
Renia 
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8 Nov 2010
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MoodyMoody
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For the simple present, your student should ask "How many times a week (month, day, year, etc.) do you ________ ?" Then, as Renia states, the answer should be once a week, twice a month, three times a day, etc. The question in the simple present requires a time frame.
However, in the simple past, your student could ask "How many times DID you ________ ?" without a time frame. The answer then could be once, twice, too many times to count, etc. Of course, your student could use a time frame in the past also.
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8 Nov 2010
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PhilipR
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As I see it the most used and easiest question is simply
How often do you play tennis?
Possible answers: - sometimes, often, not often, rarely, hardly ever, never etc. - once a week, twice a month, three times a year etc. - every day, every other day etc. - once in a blue moon etc.
- How many times a week do you play tennis? (meaning every week) is also correct of course, as well as - How many times have you played tennis this week? (meaning so far this week) and - How many times did you play tennis last week? (meaning last week only - past).
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8 Nov 2010
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yanogator
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Philip �s answers are great. I would only add another possibility:
How many times have you played tennis?
In the original question, "How many times do you play tennis?" just doesn �t quite work. Also, the answer, "I usually play tennis" also doesn �t quite work. A native speaker wouldn �t use either one.
Bruce |
8 Nov 2010
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