A veces.
Sometimes.
Asked whether it always goes this way, the most honest reply is a short a veces, with no verb needed.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "sometimes" in Spanish
a veces
adverb phrasenever changestwo words
"Sometimes" in Spanish is a veces, two words that never change. Veces is the plural of vez, one time, so the phrase means "at times". It can open or close a sentence: A veces voy al mercado or Voy al mercado a veces.
Hear "a veces" in real movie scenes
A one-word answer and a half agreement. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Bueno, a veces es correcto.
Well, sometimes it's right.
Without arguing or fully agreeing, the speaker uses a veces to limit the point to part of the time.
From The Office · Spanish audio
How often? From siempre to nunca
A veces sits in the middle of the scale.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| siempre | always |
| casi siempre | almost always |
| a menudo | often |
| a veces | sometimes |
| de vez en cuando | now and then |
| casi nunca | hardly ever |
| nunca | never |
Tip: Algunas veces means the same as a veces. It's a longer way to say it.
Grammar: a veces
Four points about a two-word phrase.
Vez, veces
Vez is one time or occasion. In the plural the z becomes c: veces. You'll also meet una vez (once) and dos veces (twice).Start, middle or end
A veces voy al mercado. Voy a veces al mercado. Voy al mercado a veces. All three are correct.A full answer
When someone asks ¿Siempre?, you can reply with just A veces. No verb is needed.Soft v, s or th
Say ah BEH-sehs. The v sounds like a soft b, and in most of Spain the c sounds like th.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
A veces el jabón está en la mesa.
Sometimes the soap is on the table.
A veces me duele la cabeza.
Sometimes my head hurts.
A veces todos necesitamos ayuda.
We all need help sometimes.
No vamos mucho, solo a veces.
We don't go much, just sometimes.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗aveces
✓a veces
You say it in one breath, but you write it as two words.
✗a vez
✓a veces
The phrase always takes the plural form, veces.
✗a la vez (meaning sometimes)
✓a veces
A la vez means at the same time: *Hablo y como a la vez.*
Practice: 3 quick exercises
Free, and you don't need an account.
1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 25 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Hear veces as visits. A friend who visits now and then comes a veces, not every day.
Questions about "sometimes" in Spanish
How do you say sometimes in Spanish?
A veces: A veces voy al mercado. The phrase keeps the same form in every sentence.
Is it a veces or aveces?
A veces, two words. Written as one word, aveces is a spelling mistake.
What's the difference between a veces and a la vez?
A veces means sometimes. A la vez means at the same time, for two things happening at once.
How do you say "from time to time" in Spanish?
De vez en cuando: De vez en cuando voy al cine. It's built on the same word, vez.
