Published June 19, 2024 • Updated June 14, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Souvent — Meaning and Pronunciation
Souvent is a French adverb meaning “often” or “frequently.” It’s used to describe actions or events that happen on a regular basis. For example, Je vais souvent au marché (I often go to the market) or J’ai souvent visité Paris (I have often visited Paris).
IPA pronunciation of souvent is /su.vɑ̃/, which sounds approximately like “soo-vahn”.
📍 Souvent placement rules
In most cases, place souvent after the conjugated verb. In compound tenses such as the passé composé, place it after the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and before the past participle.
| Tense | Example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Present and other simple tenses | Je mange souvent au restaurant. I often eat out. | Place souvent after the conjugated verb. |
| Passé composé | J’ai souvent visité Paris. I have often visited Paris. | Place souvent after the auxiliary (avoir or être) and before the past participle. |
| Sentence-initial (for emphasis) | Souvent, il oublie ses clés. He often forgets his keys. | Souvent can be placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. |
Example Sentences
Je vais souvent à la plage.
I often go to the beach.
Il me semble que vous vous trompez souvent.
It seems to me that you’re often wrong.
J’ai souvent voyagé en France.
I have often traveled to France.
To ask “how often”, use à quelle fréquence.
À quelle fréquence est-ce que tu laves ton chien?
How often do you wash your dog?
👉 The related expression de temps en temps means “from time to time” and its pronunciation confuses students.
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Related words and expressions
- toujours — always
- parfois — sometimes
- jamais — never
- quelquefois — sometimes
- de temps en temps — from time to time / occasionally
- rarement — rarely
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