French · Time, Numbers & Colors
"Sometimes" in French: parfois
parfois
Sometimes in French is parfois. Quelquefois and des fois are close everyday alternatives. Place parfois near the verb: je vais parfois au marché.
Habits
Parfois je travaille depuis un café.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce parfois
Say it
par-FWAH
/paʁ.fwa/
Parfois is par-FWAH. The ai is like è, and ois sounds like wah. Stress the second syllable.
"Sometimes" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| parfois | sometimes Neutral default. | Neutral default. |
| quelquefois | sometimes Same idea, a bit more formal or written. | Same idea, a bit more formal or written. |
| des fois | sometimes / at times Very spoken. | Very spoken. |
| de temps en temps | from time to time Slightly less often than parfois. | Slightly less often than parfois. |
How to use parfois in real life
- 1Habits
Parfois je travaille depuis un café.
Sometimes I work from a café.
Parfois at the start is natural.
- 2Weather talk
Il pleut parfois sans prévenir.
It sometimes rains without warning.
Après the verb.
- 3Food preference
Je mange parfois du poisson le vendredi.
I sometimes eat fish on Fridays.
Frequency habit.
Mistakes English speakers make with parfois
Incorrect: Je sometimes vais au cinéma.
Correct: Je vais parfois au cinéma.
Use parfois, usually after the verb or at the start.
Incorrect: Quelques fois (as two casual words for sometimes).
Correct: Parfois. / Quelquefois.
Prefer parfois or the single word quelquefois.
Good to know
Parfois is safe in speech and writing. Des fois is very conversational; de temps en temps suggests a looser, less frequent habit.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Talking about weekend routines
ChatPal
Tu cours le dimanche ?
Do you run on Sundays?
You
Parfois. Sinon je dors trop tard.
Sometimes. Otherwise I sleep in too late.
ChatPal
Moi aussi, parfois j'abandonne pour un brunch.
Me too—sometimes I ditch it for brunch.
You
Ha ! Bruncher, c'est aussi du sport.
Ha! Brunching is also a sport.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Sometimes" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Sometimes" in French
How do you say sometimes in French?
Parfois.
Where does parfois go in the sentence?
Often after the conjugated verb, or at the beginning for emphasis.
Is des fois okay?
Yes in casual speech.
How do you pronounce parfois?
Par-FWAH.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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