a few times
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a few times
An adverb that means 'einige Male' (several times) or 'wenige Male' (a few times). It expresses that something has happened more than once, but not very often.
Ich habe schon paarmal versucht, dich anzurufen.
I've already tried to call you a few times.
The adverb 'paarmal' is made up of 'paar' (a few) and 'mal' (times) and is written as one word. This spelling emphasizes that it refers to an indefinite, small number.
Ich habe dich heute schon paarmal angerufen, aber du bist nicht rangegangen.
I've already called you a few times today, but you didn't pick up.
As an adverb, 'paarmal' usually appears in the middle field of the sentence, often after the conjugated verb. It can also stand in position 1 for emphasis, but this is less common.
Wir haben das Thema paarmal besprochen.
We discussed the topic a few times.
'Paarmal' is used very frequently in spoken, informal language. It often sounds more natural than more exact statements.
Kannst du mir helfen? Ich habe das schon paarmal probiert, aber es klappt nicht.
Can you help me? I've already tried it a few times, but it isn't working.
often
'oft' and 'paarmal' are opposites when it comes to frequency. Use 'oft' when something happens many times or regularly. 'paarmal' means only a few times. So both words talk about repetition, but 'oft' suggests a lot, while 'paarmal' suggests little. If you want to show that something was not regular, 'paarmal' is more precise.
Ich war erst paarmal in diesem kleinen Laden.
I've only been to this little shop a few times.
Clara hat vor dem Wochenende oft lange gearbeitet.
Clara often worked late before the weekend.