Adverbs of Time
When, for how long and how often. Yesterday, for two years, always, still, yet.
කවදද, කොච්චර කාලයක්ද, කොච්චර නිතරද කියලා කියන වචන adverbs of time. "කවදද" සහ "කොච්චර කාලයක්ද" කියන ඒවා ගොඩක් වෙලාවට වාක්යයේ අන්තිමට එනවා. "කොච්චර නිතරද" කියන ඒවා (always, often) ප්රධාන ක්රියාපදයට කලින් එනවා.
When?
When
- I went to Colombo yesterday.
- I'll call you later.
- I have to leave now.
- I saw that film last year.
You can put when words at the start to make the time important: Yesterday, I went to Colombo.
For how long?
How long
- She stayed at home all day.
- Amma lived in Kuwait for a year.
- I've worked at this company since 2019.
for + a length of time (for three days). since + a starting point (since Monday). There's more about this on the present perfect page.
How often?
From 100% to 0%:
| always | usually | often | sometimes | rarely / seldom | never |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | ~90% | ~70% | ~50% | ~10% | 0% |
These go before the main verb, but after be and after helping verbs (can, will, have):
I often eat rice. (before the main verb)
I am never late. (after am / is / are)
You must always wear a helmet. (after must, can, will…)
How often
- I usually eat rice for dinner.
- He never drinks milk.
- You must always wear a helmet on a bike.
- I'm rarely late.
Sometimes, usually and often can also go at the start: Sometimes, I wake up at 4 a.m.
Exact numbers usually go at the end: once a week, twice a day, every Poya, three times a month, daily, monthly.
still and yet
- still = it's continuing (maybe longer than expected). Goes before the main verb, after be.
- yet = it hasn't happened, but we expect it. Only in questions and negatives, at the end.
still / yet
- She's still waiting for you.
- Do you still work at that company?
- Haven't you finished yet?
- They haven't met him yet.
More than one time word?
Use this order: how long → how often → when.
The order
- I work for five hours every day.
- I was abroad for two months last year.
Quick check
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The bus late on rainy days.
We to our village for Avurudu.
The results haven't come out .
Is it raining?
I've known her grade five.
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