AdverbsHSK 4
Comparing 常常 and 经常
Both 常常 and 经常 mean 'often' and are used before verbs to express frequent actions. However, 经常 is more flexible: it can be used in negative form (不经常) and appears as the shorter 常 in informal commands like 常来玩. 常常 is generally restricted to positive statements and is not typically negated.
Structure
Subj. + 常常 / 经常 + Verb
经常 can also be negated (不经常) and used in short form (常) in imperatives.
Examples
- 我常常收到垃圾短信。Wǒ chángcháng shōudào lājī duǎnxìn.I often receive spam texts.
- 你们经常加班吗？Nǐmen jīngcháng jiābān ma?Do you guys often work overtime?
- 他们常常吵架。Tāmen chángcháng chǎojià.They often argue.
- 他经常不吃早饭。Tā jīngcháng bù chī zǎo fàn.He often skips breakfast.
- 常来玩！Cháng lái wán!Come hang out often!