Often

Often is an adverb meaning ‘many times on different occasions’. Like many other short adverbs, we use it in front position, in mid position (between the subject and the main verb, or after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after be as a main verb) or in end position:

I often see Christine when I’m in town. She must do her shopping in the same places as me.
A: I love that Indian restaurant on Mill Street.
B: D’you go there often?
A: Not very often, I mean, maybe once a month or so.

Front position is the least common position, and sounds more formal:

We used to see him on the beach. Often he would go for a swim, then he would come and talk to us.

We can emphasise often with very or quite:

I very often meet him as he’s coming out of work.
Maggie is old now and she quite often forgets things.

We use how often to ask about the frequency of something:

A: How often do you go swimming?
B: About three or four times a week, usually.