AdverbsHSK 2

Expressing "sometimes" with 有时

有时 means "sometimes" or "at times" and is used to indicate that something happens on some occasions, not always.

It usually appears before a verb or at the beginning of a clause to describe an occasional situation.

Structure

有时 + Verb / Verb Phrase

Placed before the verb to describe what sometimes happens.

有时 + Clause 1, 有时 + Clause 2

Used in parallel structure to contrast what happens on different occasions.

我有时在家吃饭，有时在学校吃。
Wǒ yǒu shí zài jiā chī fàn, yǒu shí zài xué xiào chī.
I sometimes eat at home, and sometimes eat at school.
北京的秋天有时很热，有时很冷。
Běi jīng de qiū tiān yǒu shí hěn rè, yǒu shí hěn lěng.
Autumn in Beijing is sometimes very hot, and sometimes very cold.
他有时会去公园跑步。
Tā yǒu shí huì qù gōng yuán pǎo bù.
He sometimes goes to the park to jog.
有时我觉得学习中文很难。
Yǒu shí wǒ jué de xué xí zhōng wén hěn nán.
Sometimes I feel that learning Chinese is very difficult.
妈妈有时给我打电话，有时发短信。
Mā ma yǒu shí gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà, yǒu shí fā duǎn xìn.
Mom sometimes calls me, and sometimes sends a text message.