ENGLISH
REFERENCE

x times a week

fixed phr..
A1 Beginner Oxford

fixed phr.. You use this phrase to say how many times something happens during a seven-day period. For example, you can say 'two times a week' or 'five times a week'.

fixed phr.. A fixed adverbial phrase of frequency indicating how many occurrences of an action take place within a seven-day period, where 'X' represents a cardinal number.


SIMPLE

I go to the gym three times a week.

CONTEXTUAL

The team meets four times a week to practice their presentation before the big conference.

COMPLEX

Volunteers are required to check the sensitive equipment at least two times a week, a protocol established to prevent catastrophic system failure.

Usage

Use 'once' for one time and 'twice' for two times; for all other numbers, use the number plus 'times'.

Teaching tip

Contrast this structure with adverbs of indefinite frequency like 'often' or 'sometimes' to show how English expresses both definite and indefinite frequency.

Pitfall

He goes three time a week.He goes three times a week.'Time' is countable here, so it needs the plural 's' for any number greater than one.

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