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How often do you walk? How often questions and once or twice a week

This A1 ESL lesson plan practices how often questions and their answers, from every day to twice a week and once a month.

Grammar
How often…? with do or does (How often does Sam run?), expressions of frequency at the end of the sentence (I walk every day.), and never before the verb.
Topic
Walking and exercise habits, with Walk with a Doc, free walks with a doctor, started in Ohio in 2005, and words like jog, sneakers, gym and healthy.
Activities
A Walk with a Doc flyer, a dialogue and a community center message, self-checking drills, a chat about how often students exercise, open-box questions and a post about their week.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, sneakers!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: walking and exerciseVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: Walk with a Doc

    • Look at the photo: Walk with a DocPictureUnlock
    • Read the flyerReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a walk twice a week

    • Listen to Olivia and SamListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to a message from the community centerListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: twice a week

    • Study the scheme: How often…?Grammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: How often…?Fill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: once, twice, every…Drag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: how often do you run?

    • Choose the right replies: exercise with SamChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a post: my weekWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record yourself: how often do you exercise?Speaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Exercise vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • doctor
  • patient
  • heart
  • healthy
  • sneakers
  • yoga mat
  • gym

Grammar: how often questions and expressions of frequency

The first fact on the Walk with a Doc flyer answers How often?: once a month, on the first Sunday. Learners ask How often…? with do or does, answer with expressions of frequency like twice a week and every Saturday, and put the time phrase at the end, while adverbs of frequency such as never stay before the verb.

How often do you walk?

Ask How often…? Answer with every day, once a week, twice a week… at the end.

From every day to once a month

A time phrase counts the times in a day, a week or a month: three times a day, once a week, once a month, or simply every day. One time is once and two times is twice; from three on, it's three times, four times.

How often? From every day to never

How often?MeaningExample
every dayMonday to SundayOlivia walks every day.
three times a day3 times in one dayPickle walks three times a day.
twice a week2 times in one weekSam runs twice a week.
once a week1 time in one weekI swim once a week.
every Saturdayon Saturday, every weekJack swims every Saturday.
once a month1 time in one monthThe group walks once a month.
never0 timesOlivia never runs.

once, twice, three times

1 time = once. 2 times = twice. 3, 4, 5 times = three times, four times, five times. People sometimes say two times, but twice is the usual word. a week = in one week: twice a week, once a month, three times a day.

How often + do or does

The question is How often, then do or does, the person and the base verb: How often do you walk? How often does Sam run? After does, the verb has no -s, so How often does she runs? is wrong.

Ask: How often + do / does + who + verb?

How oftendo / doeswhoverb

How often do you walk? – Every day.

How often does Sam run? – Twice a week.

Questions and answers

QuestionAnswer
How often do I / you / we / they walk?Every day. / We walk every day.
How often does he / she / it run?Twice a week. / She runs twice a week.

The time phrase goes last

In the answer, the verb keeps its usual form, with -s for he, she and it, and the time phrase comes last: She runs twice a week. We swim once a week. A short answer can be the phrase alone: Every day.

Whoverb … + how often
II walk every day.
youYou run twice a week.
he, she, itShe runs twice a week. The gym? It opens every day.
weWe swim once a week.
theyThey walk once a month.

Never before the verb, twice a week after it

One-word adverbs like never, always and often come before the main verb: Olivia never runs. I often walk in the park. Longer phrases like every day and twice a week go after it: Sam runs in the park twice a week.

never, always, often: before the main verb

  • Olivia never runs.
  • I often walk in the park.

every day, once a week: at the end

  • Sam runs in the park twice a week.
  • I walk every day.

Common mistakes

  • She twice a week runs.

    She runs twice a week.

    how often: at the end

  • I walk every days.

    I walk every day.

    every + day: no -s

  • We walk once in a week.

    We walk once a week.

    once a week: no in

  • How often she runs?

    How often does she run?

    How often + does + she + verb

More lessons on this grammar: Present simple lessons and exercises

Try the how often exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 11 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • ask how often with do or does: How often do you walk? How often does Sam run?
  • answer with every day, once a week, twice a week or three times a day, placed at the end of the sentence
  • put never before the verb but time phrases after it: Olivia never runs. The group walks once a month.
  • read a flyer that says when a group meets: once a month, on the first Sunday, at 9 a.m.

Lesson 18 comes second in Healthy me, the fifth unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on lesson 8, where always, usually, often, sometimes and never found their place in sentences like It usually snows in October, and on the does questions of lesson 10, such as What time does the ferry leave? Walk with a Doc groups choose their own days, some every week and many once a month, so the flyer puts How often? first.

A spin wheel about walking and sports opens the lesson, then ten words for walking and exercise, from jog and sneakers to heart and healthy, with pictures and audio. Students read the flyer of a Brooklyn Walk with a Doc group and answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions. They listen to Olivia and Sam plan their walks (an AI-voiced dialogue) and to a community center's message about its week. The scheme opens the grammar chapter, followed by four exercises checked as students answer, among them a gap-fill of How often questions and a drag-and-drop of once, twice and every. In the speaking chapter, students reply to Sam's messages about exercise and open boxes of questions about their week.

Homework has two self-checking tasks, How often questions to put in order and words to match with meanings. Students then write a short post about their week and record a voice message about how often they exercise, and the teacher reviews both.

Grammar:
How often…? · once, twice, three times a week · every day, every Saturday · once a month · frequency at the end of the sentence
Topic:
Walk with a Doc · walking · exercise · healthy habits · Brooklyn

Teaching tips

  • Survey the class before the flyer: each student asks three classmates How often do you walk?, notes the answers and reports one: Ana walks every day.
  • Draw a week on the board, Monday to Sunday, and tick the days someone runs; students turn the ticks into words: two ticks, twice a week.
  • Write two sentences side by side, Olivia never runs and Sam runs twice a week, and ask where each time word sits before the scheme explains why.
  • After the chat with Sam, pairs plan a real week of exercise together, with how often and which days: Let's walk twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18 · you're hereHow often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

How do you use "how often" in English?
How often asks how many times something happens, and in a question it comes before do or does: How often do you walk? How often does Sam run? The answer is a time phrase, usually at the end: I walk every day. He runs twice a week. Keep the helper verb: How often she runs? is a common slip for How often does she run?
What does "once a week" mean?
Once a week means one time in every week, as in I swim once a week, on Saturday. Once is the word for one time, and a week works like per week, with no in: once a week, not once in a week. The same pattern gives once a month and three times a day. A flyer in the A1 lesson How often do you walk? on edio.ai announces walks once a month, on the first Sunday.
How do you answer "How often do you…?"
Answer with a time phrase, alone or at the end: Every day. I walk every day. Twice a week, on Monday and Friday. Keep the verb from the question, with -s for he and she: How often does your best friend exercise? She goes to the gym three times a week. For zero, put never before the verb: I never do yoga.
What are expressions of frequency?
Expressions of frequency are phrases that say how often something happens, like every day, twice a week and once a month. They usually go at the end of the sentence: We swim once a week. Jack swims every Saturday. One-word adverbs of frequency such as never, often and always work differently: they sit before the main verb, Olivia never runs, but after be, It's often foggy.
Is it "She runs twice a week" or "She twice a week runs"?
It's She runs twice a week, with the time phrase last. Phrases such as twice a week and every day follow the verb and whatever comes after it: Sam runs in the park twice a week. Only one-word adverbs like never go before the verb: She never runs. The chat in the A1 lesson How often do you walk? on edio.ai sets I twice a week run as a wrong reply.
Is it "twice a week" or "two times a week"?
Both are correct, but twice a week is the usual choice. English has special words for one and two times, once and twice, then counts with times: three times a week, four times a day. Leaving out times is wrong, so I run two a week is a slip. Say I run twice a week, on Monday and Friday.
What exercise vocabulary do beginners learn?
Beginners start with a few verbs for moving and the things around them: walk, run, jog, swim and exercise, then sneakers, a yoga mat and the gym. Healthy and heart explain why people do it. Learn the verb that goes with each activity too: play soccer, do yoga, go to the gym. In the A1 lesson How often do you walk? on edio.ai, jog, sneakers and gym come as word cards with pictures and audio.
How do I teach how often questions to beginners?
Start from a real week on a calendar, so once, twice and every day have something to count: one tick a week is once a week. Then add the question How often do you…?, and the does form for other people. In this lesson, a flyer and a dialogue full of time phrases come first, then the scheme and four drills, and last a chat where students answer about their own habits.
What's a good game for practicing how often questions?
Open-the-box questions work well: a student picks a box, answers a question like How often do you go to the gym? with a time phrase, and adds one detail. One box in How often do you walk?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, sets a challenge: Say three things: I … every day. I … twice a week. I never …
How do you practice expressions of frequency one-to-one?
Fill in the learner's real week together, then ask about each habit: How often do you swim? Once a week, on Sunday. Swap so the learner asks about you, and use does for people you both know. For practice alone, the chat in this lesson works well: a friend's messages ask how often the student walks, runs and plays sports.
What's good homework for practicing how often?
A short post about your own week is good homework, since every line needs a time phrase: I walk in the park every day. I run twice a week. I never go to the gym! After two self-checking tasks, the A1 lesson How often do you walk? on edio.ai asks for that post and a voice message about how often students exercise, both for the teacher.
Are there interactive exercises for how often questions?
Yes: typed gap-fills and chat replies that check themselves give instant feedback on How often…? and its answers. Four parts of How often do you walk?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, play on this page without an account: the Walk with a Doc flyer, a dialogue about walking twice a week, a gap-fill of questions like How often does Sam run?, and a chat about exercise with a friend. The drag-and-drop and the rest are locked.
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