Hindi · Time, Numbers & Colors

"Sometimes" in Hindi: कभी-कभी

कभी-कभीkabhi-kabhi

Say it: kuh-BHEE kuh-BHEEadverb/kəbʱiːkəbʱiː/

Sometimes in Hindi is कभी-कभी (kabhi-kabhi). A shorter कभी (kabhi) can mean sometime or ever, depending on the sentence.

Food preference

मैं कभी-कभी मीठा खाता हूँ।

main kabhi-kabhi meetha khaata hoon.

I sometimes eat sweets.
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How to pronounce कभी-कभी

Say it

kuh-BHEE kuh-BHEE

/kəbʱiːkəbʱiː/

Kabhi-kabhi is kuh-BHEE kuh-BHEE with even stress on both halves. Keep the hyphen feel as a light pause.

"Sometimes" in Hindi: quick reference

HindiEnglish
कभी-कभीkabhi-kabhisometimes

Default frequency.

कभीkabhisometime; ever

Kabhi aana / kabhi nahi.

वक्त-वक्त परvaqt-vaqt parfrom time to time

Slightly formal.

कभी कभारkabhi kabhaaronce in a while

Rarer than kabhi-kabhi.

How to use कभी-कभी in real life

  1. 1Food preference

    मैं कभी-कभी मीठा खाता हूँ।

    main kabhi-kabhi meetha khaata hoon.

    I sometimes eat sweets.

    Woman: khaati.

  2. 2Work from home

    कभी-कभी ऑफ़िस की बजाय घर से काम करती हूँ।

    kabhi-kabhi office ki bajay ghar se kaam karti hoon.

    Sometimes I work from home instead of the office.

    Feminine karti.

  3. 3Weather small talk

    यहाँ कभी-कभी अचानक बारिश हो जाती है।

    yahaan kabhi-kabhi achaanak baarish ho jaati hai.

    Here it sometimes rains suddenly.

    City climate.

Mistakes English speakers make with कभी-कभी

Incorrect: Kabhi kabhi without the hyphen feel as one rushed mush

Correct: Kabhi-kabhi with two clear beats

Say both parts; rushing makes it sound like a single kabhi.

Incorrect: Using kabhi-kabhi when you mean always

Correct: Hamesha / roz

Kabhi-kabhi is occasional, not every day.

Good to know

कभी-कभी softens statements so they don't sound absolute — useful when talking about diet, habits, or annoying relatives. In invitations, kabhi aaiye means come sometime, not a firm date.

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Planning exercise habits

  1. ChatPal

    आप कभी-कभी मॉर्निंग वॉक करते हैं?

    aap kabhi-kabhi morning walk karte hain?

    Do you sometimes go for a morning walk?

  2. You

    हाँ, कभी-कभी पार्क जाता हूँ।

    haan, kabhi-kabhi park jaata hoon.

    Yes, I sometimes go to the park.

  3. ChatPal

    मैं रोज़ जाता हूँ, पर सर्दी में आलस आता है।

    main roz jaata hoon, par sardi mein aalas aata hai.

    I go every day, but in winter I get lazy.

  4. You

    समझ सकता हूँ मैं भी कभी-कभी छोड़ देता हूँ।

    samajh sakta hoon — main bhi kabhi-kabhi chhod deta hoon.

    I get it — I sometimes skip too.

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"Sometimes" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Sometimes" in Hindi

Kabhi vs kabhi-kabhi?

Kabhi-kabhi means sometimes. Kabhi alone can mean sometime or ever.

How do I say once in a while?

Kabhi kabhaar or kabhi-kabhi.

Where does it sit in the sentence?

Usually early: main kabhi-kabhi…

Opposite of sometimes?

Hamesha (always) or kabhi nahi (never).

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