Definition

Adverb: - Occasionally, now and then, from time to time: Used to describe an action or event that happens not regularly or frequently, but at irregular intervals.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Thỉnh thoảng tôi gọi điện cho bố mẹ. (I call my parents occasionally.)
  • Cô ấy thỉnh thoảng đến thăm thư viện. (She visits the library now and then.)
  • Thỉnh thoảng chúng tôi mới đi ăn ở nhà hàng. (We only go to a restaurant from time to time.)

Advanced Usage

• Can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence to modify the verb.
  • Thỉnh thoảng, thành phố rất yên tĩnh vào sáng sớm. (Occasionally, the city is very quiet in the early morning.)
  • Tôi thỉnh thoảng cảm thấy nhớ quê hương. (I sometimes feel homesick.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đôi khi (adv): Sometimes. A close synonym with similar frequency.

  • Đôi khi tôi thích ở một mình. (Sometimes I like to be alone.)

• Hiếm khi (adv): Rarely. Indicates a much lower frequency than "thỉnh thoảng."

  • Anh ấy hiếm khi tức giận. (He rarely gets angry.)

Synonyms

• Occasionally: Happening or occurring at irregular intervals.
• Now and then: From time to time.
• Sometimes: On some occasions but not always or often.
• Periodically: At regular intervals, though often used similarly in casual speech.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Thỉnh thoảng mới: Used to emphasize that something happens only occasionally.

  • Anh ấy thỉnh thoảng mới về quê. (He only goes back to his hometown once in a while.)

• Năm lần bảy lượt is an idiom meaning "repeatedly," which is the opposite concept of "thỉnh thoảng."

adv

1. occasionally, now and then