often (redirected from oftenest)

of·ten  (ôfn, fn, ôftn, f-)

adv. of·ten·er, of·ten·est

Many times; frequently.

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[Middle English, alteration (probably influenced by selden, seldom) of oft, from Old English; see upo in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: During the 15th century English experienced a widespread loss of certain consonant sounds within consonant clusters, as the (d) in handsome and handkerchief, the (p) in consumption and raspberry, and the (t) in chestnut and often. In this way the consonant clusters were simplified and made easier to articulate. With the rise of public education and literacy and, consequently, people's awareness of spelling in the 19th century, sounds that had become silent sometimes were restored, as is the case with the t in often, which is now frequently pronounced. In other similar words, such as soften and listen, the t generally remains silent.

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often [ˈɒf^ən ˈɒft^ən]

adv

1. frequently or repeatedly; much of the time Archaic equivalents oftentimes ofttimes

as often as not quite frequently

every so often at intervals

more often than not in more than half the instances

adj

Archaic repeated; frequent

[variant of oft before vowels and h]

Thesaurus

Adv.	1.	often - many times at short intervals; "we often met over a cup of coffee" frequently, oft, oftentimes, ofttimes rarely, seldom - not often; "we rarely met"
	2.	often - frequently or in great quantities; "I don't drink much"; "I don't travel much" a great deal, much
	3.	often - in many cases or instances

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often

adverb frequently, much, generally, commonly, repeatedly, again and again, very often, oft (archaic or poetic), over and over again, time and again, habitually, time after time, customarily, oftentimes (archaic), not infrequently, many a time, ofttimes (archaic), ofN (S.M.S.) We often spend our holidays at home. I don't get out often.
never, rarely, occasionally, seldom, scarcely, now and then, irregularly, infrequently, hardly ever

Translations

often [ˈɒfən] ADV → a menudo, con frecuencia, seguido(LAm)
I've often wondered why you turned the job down → me he preguntado muchas veces or a menudo or con frecuencia por qué no aceptaste el trabajo
it's not often that I ask you to help me → no es frecuente que te pida ayuda
we often meet here → solemos reunirnos aquí
do you often argue? → ¿discutís mucho?, ¿discutís muy a menudo?
we visit her as often as possible → la visitamos tanto como nos es posible
twice as often as → dos veces más que
women consult doctors twice as often as men → las mujeres consultan a un médico dos veces más que los hombres
as often as not → la mitad de las veces
every so often (of time) → de vez en cuando; (of distance, spacing) → de trecho en trecho, cada cierta distancia
we see each other every so often → nos vemos de vez en cuando → nos vemos alguna que otra vez
how often? (= how many times) → ¿con qué frecuencia?; (= at what intervals) → ¿cada cuánto?
how often do you see him? → ¿cada cuánto lo ves? → ¿con qué or cuánta frecuencia lo ves?
how often have I warned you that this would happen? → ¿cuántas veces te he advertido de que iba a pasar esto?
how often she had asked herself that very question! → ¡cuántas veces se había hecho esa misma pregunta!
he saw her less often now that she had a job → la veía con menos frecuencia ahora que tenía un trabajo
more often than not → la mayoría de las veces, las más de las veces
he's read it so often he knows it off by heart → lo ha leído tantas veces que se lo sabe de memoria
(all) too often → con demasiada frecuencia, demasiado a menudo, demasiadas veces
you've been drunk on duty once too often → ha estado borracho una y otra vez estando de servicio
very often → muchísimas veces, muy a menudo

OFTEN

In statements

• When often means "on many occasions", you can usually translate it using con frecuencia or a menudo:

He often came to my house Venía con frecuencia or a menudo a mi casa She doesn't often get angry No se enfada con frecuencia or a menudo You are late too often Llegas tarde con demasiada frecuencia or demasiado a menudo

• In informal contexts, particularly when often can be substituted by a lot or much with no change of meaning, mucho is an alternative translation:

He doesn't often come to see me No viene mucho a verme He often hangs out in this bar Para mucho en este bar

• Muchas veces is another possible translation, but it should be used with the present only if the time, place or activity is restricted in some way:

I've often heard him talk about the need for this law Le he oído muchas veces hablar de la necesidad de esta ley It can often be difficult to discuss this subject with one's partner Muchas veces es difícil hablar con la pareja sobre este tema

• When often describes a predictable, habitual or regular action, you can often translate it using the present or imperfect of soler as applicable:

In England it is often cold in winter En Inglaterra suele hacer frío en invierno I often have a glass of sherry before dinner Suelo tomar un jerez antes de cenar We often went out for a walk in the evening Solíamos salir por la tarde a dar un paseo

• Use soler also when often means "in many cases":

This heart condition is often very serious Esta enfermedad cardíaca suele ser muy grave
In questions

• You can usually use con frecuencia in questions, though there are other possibilities:

How often do you go to Madrid? ¿Con qué frecuencia vas a Madrid? Do you often go to Spain? ¿Vas a España con frecuencia?, ¿Vas a menudo or mucho a España?

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often [ˈɒf^ən ˈɒft^ən] adv

(gen) → souvent
It often rains → Il pleut souvent.
I'd like to go skiing more often → J'aimerais aller skier plus souvent.
twice as often → deux fois plus souvent
I shower twice as often as most people → Je me douche deux fois plus souvent que la plupart des gens.
much more often than → bien plus souvent que
as often as not → la plupart du temps
more often than not → la plupart du temps
every so often → de temps à autre
it's not often (that) ... → ce n'est pas souvent que ...

(in questions about frequency) how often do you go? → vous y allez tous les combien?, vous y allez avec quelle fréquence?
How often do you go to the gym? → Vous allez à la gym tous les combien?
How often do you wash the car? → Vous lavez votre voiture tous les combien?

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often

adv → oft, häufig; he went there often, he often went there → er ging oft or häufig da hin; you have been there as often as I have → Sie sind schon (eben)so oft wie ich dort gewesen; do you go there as often as twice a week? → gehen Sie tatsächlich zweimal in der Woche dahin?; not as often as twice a week → weniger als zweimal in der Woche; as often as I ask you … → jedes Mal wenn ich Sie frage …; more often than not, as often as not → meistens; every so often → öfters, von Zeit zu Zeit; he did it once too often → er hat es einmal zu oft or zu viel getan; how often? → wie oft?; it is not often that … → es kommt selten vor, dass …, es geschieht nicht oft, dass …; oft(en) times (obs) → oftmals, gar viele Male (old)

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often [ˈɒf/ən] adv → spesso
as often as not → il più delle volte
more often than not → quasi sempre
every so often (of time) → una volta ogni tanto (of distance, spacing) → regolarmente, a intervalli regolari
how often do you see him? → ogni quanto lo vedi?
her behaviour is often disappointing → il suo comportamento è spesso deludente
it's not often that I ask you to help me → non è che ti chieda spesso di aiutarmi

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often [ˈɒf/ən] adv → spesso
as often as not → il più delle volte
more often than not → quasi sempre
every so often (of time) → una volta ogni tanto (of distance, spacing) → regolarmente, a intervalli regolari
how often do you see him? → ogni quanto lo vedi?
her behaviour is often disappointing → il suo comportamento è spesso deludente
it's not often that I ask you to help me → non è che ti chieda spesso di aiutarmi

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often

adv often [ˈofn]

many times I often go to the theatre; I should see him more often. dikwels غالِبا често často ofte oft συχνά a menudo, con frecuencia sageli اغلب اوقات؛ به کرات usein souvent לְעִתִים קְרוֹבוֹת अकसर, प्राय: često gyakran sering oft spesso しばしば 종종 dažnai bieži selalu vaak ofte często com frequência adesea часто často pogosto često ofta บ่อย ๆ sık sık 經常 часто اکثر thường xuyên 经常

every so often

sometimes; occasionally I meet him at the club every so often. af en toe, van tyd tot tyd أحْيانا، من حينٍ إلى آخَر понякога občas med jævne mellemrum sehr oft μερικές φορές, περιστασιακά alguna que otra vez, de vez en cuando mõnikord گهگاه silloin tällöin de temps en temps מִדֵי פָּעַם समय-समय पर svako malo néha kadang-kadang annað veifið (di quando in quando), (ogni tanto) 時折 이따금 kartais, kai kada reizēm dr semasa ke semasa af en toe innimellom, nå og da niekiedy de vez em quando din când în când иногда, изредка občas tu in tam povremeno allt emellanåt, allt som oftast บ่อย ๆ arada sırada, bazen 有時，偶然 інколи, іноді کبھي کبھي thi thoảng 有时，偶然

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often → غالباً často ofte oft συχνά a menudo usein souvent često spesso しばしば 자주 vaak ofte często frequentemente, freqüentemente часто ofta บ่อย sıklıkla thường xuyên 经常