in between / occasionally
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in between
In the time between two other activities or events; as a short interruption.
Ich habe heute viel zu tun, aber zwischendurch muss ich kurz etwas essen.
I have a lot to do today, but in between I need to eat something quickly.
'Zwischendurch' is made up of the words 'zwischen' (between) and 'durch' (through). It describes an action that takes place in a gap 'between' other events.
Ich habe keine Zeit für eine richtige Pause, aber ich kann zwischendurch einen Apfel essen.
I don't have time for a proper break, but I can eat an apple in between.
As an adverb, 'zwischendurch' (in between/occasionally) can be placed flexibly in the sentence. It often appears in position 1 to emphasize the action, or in the middle field after the conjugated verb.
Zwischendurch hat es kurz geregnet.
It rained briefly in between.
This word is very commonly used for short everyday activities that interrupt something else. Typical examples are 'zwischendurch etwas trinken' (to drink something in between), 'zwischendurch kurz anrufen' (to call briefly in between), or 'zwischendurch mal aufstehen' (to stand up now and then/in between).
Bei der langen Autofahrt sollten wir zwischendurch mal die Beine vertreten.
During the long car ride, we should stretch our legs in between.
sometimes
'manchmal' and 'zwischendurch' can both express that something happens only now and then. 'manchmal' is more general and simply means: not always, but occasionally. 'zwischendurch' can also mean that something happens between two other activities, often briefly or as an interruption. For that reason, the words can be confused when you mean 'ab und zu' (now and then). If the timing between other things is important, 'zwischendurch' fits more naturally. If it is only about frequency, 'manchmal' is simpler and more neutral.
In der Bibliothek haben wir zwischendurch eine kurze Pause gemacht.
At the library, we took a short break in between.
Nach der Arbeit kochen wir manchmal zusammen.
After work, we sometimes cook together.