01
zuweilen
at times
Sometimes, occasionally. It is a somewhat elevated or more formal alternative to 'manchmal' (sometimes).
example
Zuweilen gehe ich nach der Arbeit noch im Park spazieren.
At times, I go for a walk in the park after work.
zuweilen
at times
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of 'zu' and 'Weilen'. 'Eine Weile' means 'for a while'. So 'zuweilen' literally means 'at times' or 'sometimes'.
EXAMPLE
Er fühlt sich zuweilen etwas einsam in der neuen Stadt.
At times, he feels a bit lonely in the new city.
Sentence position
As an adverb, 'zuweilen' can stand in position 1; then the verb follows in position 2. But it can also stand after the conjugated verb in the middle of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Zuweilen scheint die Sonne auch im Winter sehr stark.
At times, the sun shines very strongly even in winter.
Register
'Zuweilen' (at times) belongs to elevated language. You find it more often in written texts, such as literature or reports, than in everyday spoken language.
EXAMPLE
Der Autor verwendet zuweilen sehr komplexe Satzstrukturen.
The author uses very complex sentence structures at times.
Compare with
zuweilen vs immer
always
'immer' and 'zuweilen' both describe frequency, but they say almost the opposite. 'immer' means that something happens every time or constantly. 'zuweilen' means that something happens only sometimes. 'zuweilen' sounds somewhat more elevated or formal than 'manchmal' (sometimes). In everyday life, people often say 'manchmal'; in a report or a calmer text, 'zuweilen' can fit well.
zuweilen
Auf Reisen hat sie zuweilen Heimweh.
When traveling, she sometimes gets homesick.
immer
Bei starkem Regen nehme ich immer den Bus.
When it rains heavily, I always take the bus.
In real life
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